The Chronicles of Utopia, Volume III
by Garion Faldor
Summary: The dark gods' war for Oerth is over and Prometheus has ascended to true godhood to become the new Lord of Technology. With his enemies vanquished the fledgling god begins a technological revolution on Oerth while looking to bring a divided humanity under his banner. But human beings seldom desire to be ruled over and beyond the stars, an ancient and hidden threat awakens.
1. Prologue

**The Chronicles of Utopia, Volume III**

* * *

 _As penned by Michael Landrum,_

 _Radiant Servant of Pelor and Steward of the Great Father_

 _He Who Is Lord Prometheus,_

 _God of Technology_

 _Luminary of Innovation_

 _And Immortal God-Emperor of the Imperium of Light_

* * *

This volume is a continuation of the previous work in which I, Michael Landrum, in my capacity as Steward to the Great Father, continue my official record of the works and deeds done by our Lord and His servants as they continued to expand the fledgling Imperium of Light. For the sake of brevity, the most important matters will be described in as much detail as is necessary to convey their significance without becoming overly descriptive on every matter to the point of uselessness. This volume will concern itself with matters that occurred on Oerth, the worlds within its sphere of influence, and on Earth following the end of what is now called the Demon War as well as matters of more recent concern that have only just become resolved within the past several decades. Before these matters are discussed, however, I wish to provide a short introduction on certain celestial matters that most would not be aware of, in order to give context for what is to come...

* * *

 **Prologue:** **An Introduction to the Nature of Reality**

Beyond the bounds of normal reality where aether is the foundation of existence, restrictions of three-dimensional space and matter a quaint notion belonging to lesser beings, and time is measured in comparison to eternity, there exists a myriad different realms maintained by the various gods. These gods watch over and maintain a region of space-time colloquially known to themselves as Greyspace, of which our planet, known as Oerth, is the center.

(Why it is called Greyspace the gods have not seen fit to say, though apparently they find some private amusement in it which I am not privy to)

I am told by the Great Father that in the universe he once hailed from, where science and Law reign supreme with no possibility of true magic, planets naturally orbit around a nearby star due to gravitational forces that remain constant. These forces remain constant due to natural universal laws that came into being at the very beginning of time and space. In realms such as Greyspace however, given the reality of magic and the gods, both of which have the power to significantly alter reality, nature and matter itself is much more malleable to the will of others. In our case Oerth is the center of all things in our region of space with the sun orbiting us despite differences in size and mass which would apparently confound the scientific-minded. Yet on Oerth such things are rarely considered except for a handful of sages who study the stars and their ilk, and virtually all take this state of affairs as being natural and normal.

To continue with my earlier narrative, the gods of this region of reality exist not as a result of a Creator's whim or due to intelligent beings praying them into existence. Rather they are the embodiment of the natural forces and powers within the universe. Ideas made manifest, necessities made flesh, they each exist to command and control a specific aspect of existence in all its forms. Theirs is the responsibility to maintain the delicate balance of all aspects of reality that allow life in all its forms to exist and flourish. For countless millennia the gods worked in concert with each other. Pelor, god of the Sun and bringer of Life, worked in harmony with Beory, the embodiment of the planet itself, as well as His kindred beings of power, Istus, Mistress of Fate, Boccob, the Lord of Magic, and Nerull, the Lord of Death. As intelligent life arose and men came to believe in such matters as Judgement, Punishment, and Law, in both the physical realm and the realms beyond, new gods came into existence to fill and officiate over these needs. To represent the more negative side of such matters the Nine Hells of Baator and their demonic denizens came into existence as well. More concepts became integral to common life and thus the pantheon of the gods expanded to include more members until at last things became stable. Each god forged their own realms out of the aether in order to create a place for themselves to exist as well as those who worshipped them to live when their physical forms expired in the fullness of time. Since that time uncountable centuries ago empires have risen and fallen on Oerth and life has gone on as it has a tendency to do with the common man living out their lives as best they are able. In all that time little has occurred to dramatically change the makeup of the pantheons of gods and its members.

That changed with the arrival of our Lord and his aide upon Oerth and my previous two volumes detail that eventual change. For now, however, let us return to matters that occurred shortly after the conclusion of the Demon War and my prior work.

* * *

In the days and weeks that followed the Demons' return to the Nine Hells, our Lord spent a great deal of time moving back and forth between Earth and Oerth to help ensure the stability of his material holdings in both worlds. Under His guidance man and machine worked tirelessly to rebuild what had been broken, the quality of the work such that, after a short time, one could not tell that the city had even been damaged. For those scars that lied beneath the surface in the hearts and minds of his people, our Lord moved about them constantly along with clerics of Pelor and Rao to heal them in mind and spirit until they were, at the very least, on the road to recovery. To the other kingdoms of the world that had been far more injured by the tragic events of recent history He would, in the coming months, give counsel and aid to help in the healing and rebuilding process. This would become the precursor for the technological revolution He had envisioned for Oerth so long ago and would lay the foundations for his acquisition of more than one world.

In this way, his Imperium would truly expand to the stars themselves and the dimensions that lay beyond them...


	2. Heavenly Meetings and Worldly Concerns

**Chapter 1: Heavenly Meetings and Worldly Concerns**

 _Somewhere within the Heavenly Realms…_

Within a place of gold, mithril, and mother of pearl of immense size, they sat upon thrones of their own devising around a long rectangular table of beautifully stained and perfectly polished wood. Beneath their feet flowed clouds stained with radiant colors of uncountable variations such as one might find during a most glorious sunset. At the head of the table sat Pelor, a leonine, powerfully built man with long, flowing hair of silver and blonde with a full blonde beard and golden robes, the god of Life and the Sun sat ensconced within a golden sunburst throne.

To his left sat a man with long white hair and dark skin, his face a picture of calm serenity while his clear blue eyes held an intelligence as sharp as any razor. Dressed in silvery robes, Rao the god of Peace and Reason waited upon Pelor to speak. To Pelor's right sat Istus the goddess of Fate. The thin woman was dressed in a silvery grey frock made from the finest spider silk. Her dark hair was done up in aristocratic curls and her sharp aquiline face was haughty.

Beory, the embodiment of nature and Oerth itself, sat further down, a matronly plump woman with long brown hair wearing simple earthy-colored robes. Sitting before her on the other side of the table was Incabulos, the Lord of Disasters, Nightmares, and Suffering. His filthy black robe was lined with sickly orange and trimmed in moss green. His skin was corpse blue and slightly bloated with stick-like hands, his face the living embodiment of aberration and grotesqueness.

Next to him sat Wee Jas, the Asian-faced Lady of Death, dressed in an immaculate red and black kimono. Opposite her sat Zilchus, the god of Money and Commerce. The middle-aged man wore brown hair and eyes, tanned skin, and a dignified demeanor, wearing expensive but refined clothing. Next sat Fharlanghn, the elderly and kindly-wrinkled Lord of Travel, the Horizon, and roads, dressed in travel-stained garb. Across from him sat his brother Celestian, the god of Stars and Space, wrapped in black robes covered with tiny glittering white gems.

Lastly, the newest member of their pantheon sat at the end of the table opposite Pelor. Prometheus, God of Technology and Innovation, his form currently that of a humanoid golden dragon whose scales were edged with chrome-like metal.

"I trust that matters are proceeding apace?" Pelor inquired to the others, folding his hands in front of him as he glanced about.

"The mortals have become rather more calm without the Baatorians causing such strife." Rao replied. "There is still much fear and unrest where the devastation is greatest."

"Indeed there is." Incalbulos replied with quiet relish. "The amount of nightmares and suffering I am able to create is simply delightful. I am learning a great many things about the mortal psyche when demons are introduced into the mix." He said with a gleam in his eye.

"Do try not to terrorize them too much." Pelor sighed. "After all the disasters that have occurred in recent years I would have thought you glutted with pleasure."

"Indeed I have been." Incabulos agreed with a phlegmy chuckle. "Yet Istus tells me there is to be something of a dry spell fairly soon if events play out as she has foreseen. I am, in a sense, stocking up."

"Istus?" Pelor asked the woman, silently requesting that she elaborate.

"Our latest godling will have a fairly profound social impact on the mortals, assuming multiple factors do not change between then and now." Istus said with an imperious sniff. "The various realms will grow and stabilize."

"That is good news." Zilchus remarked. "Instability is bad for business after all."

"Prometheus, an update if you would?" Pelor requested.

Prometheus nodded, oddly feeling as if he were in an executive board meeting delivering a report to his boss. "Utopia has been rebuilt and we will shortly be looking to aid the kingdoms beyond our borders further. Currently my servants have been assisting in rescue operations and the rebuilding of critical services in the cities and kingdoms where they have been stationed. I am recalling them for a short time in order to give them new instructions personally before I send them out once again. Our farms have also been using new genetically enhanced seeds to produce much more sturdy and healthy crops. Beory, I trust you have no problem with them?" He asked the goddess.

The plump woman shook her head. "The land is pleased with these new growths you have introduced Prometheus. It does not find offense at them."

Prometheus nodded. "Good, then with your permission as well as Zilchus's I will begin to introduce them to the other kingdoms via the Overking of Ahlissa's trade routes and merchants. It will take some time as I do not have access to a large number of the seeds. Even seeding my own lands was something of a stretch given I could provide only vague reasons to the...suppliers I procured them from. However, once we take in the first few harvests we can reclaim some of the seeds for distribution while at the same time obtaining small amounts from my various suppliers."

Beory nodded. "A sound plan. I approve."

"As do I." Zilchus remarked.

Prometheus nodded in appreciation before turning back to Pelor. "In addition I am also planning to upgrade the infrastructure between the kingdoms, with their permission of course, as well as yours good Fharlanghn." Prometheus said with a nod of respect to the god of Travel.

"Tell me of this 'upgrade' you wish to perform." The god requested.

Prometheus laced his clawed fingers together as he sat back in his throne. "The current roads as they stand now are rather simple affairs of cobblestone or rutted pathways. My intention is to reconstruct them based around new materials. These new roads will be smooth and will ensure that men and animals do not have to fear injury due to shifting rocks or a hidden hole. They will be wide enough to ensure multiple wagons and people can move about it in one direction or another in safety."

The god of Travel nodded thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "You enhance my own ability to travel the mortal realm and those of my followers. I approve of this."

"As do I." Zilchus said. "Smooth roads means trade wagons can move between the kingdoms much more quickly and generate more profit."

Pelor nodded. "We have no issue with this and thus you have our blessing to continue."

Prometheus nodded at this.

"Tell me Prometheus," Pelor continued, "have you given thought to the heavenly realm you shall create for your people?"

"I admit that I have not, given that my focus has been to rebuild Utopia." Prometheus said. "Tell me more, if you would?"

Pelor nodded. "I will give you the basic information you will need as the rest you can determine for yourself. When a true follower of yours perishes on the mortal plane their soul is automatically claimed by you unless some other agency such as a god or spell is at work upon it. At the moment, as you have not dedicated a place for your followers to exist independently, they will be absorbed into you and become a part of you. There is nothing inherently objectionable about this state of being but they will have no independent consciousness unless you decide to expend energy and grant it to them."

Prometheus nodded thoughtfully. "I would prefer to interact with them and I am certain their loved ones would as well."

"Take care with such an attitude lest you think to return those who have passed on." Pelor cautioned. "As I told you before, the power of resurrection is mine alone to grant. Even Boccob's greatest spells which can facilitate such a return must bend to my will ultimately and I only grant such requests when the need is great. The living do not belong in the realms of the dead, just as the dead should not cross back into the living world unless there is true need."

"The power of wizards and clerics to return the dead to life was given out of necessity in the ancient past but still such changes alter the universe and reality in unhealthy ways." Wee Jas explained.

"Such deviations cause the skeins of Fate to twist and change as they should not." Istus elaborated with distaste. "Even now, with all futures cloudy and uncertain, such changes create even greater uncertainty."

"Not only that but the overpopulation would ensure the starvation and displacement of many." Beory informed him. "The mortal realm is finite in that regard."

Prometheus nodded. "I had not intended to return them to life though I appreciate you all explaining why it is normally prevented. I merely wish to allow the dead to converse with the living. As my divine realm physically connects to the mortal realm such facilitation should be easier."

Pelor nodded. "Even still there must be a separation between the afterlife of your followers and your personal realm. A separate wing, if you will. They may still commune with you if you wish it and you may facilitate communication between the dead and the living if that is your wish, but the two should only ever truly meet when there is overwhelming need."

Prometheus nodded. "I will consider that. Thank you."

Pelor nodded. "Now, let us move on to other matters…"

* * *

 _Prometheus's Palace, the lower levels_

 _Several days later…_

Rows upon rows of figures stretched into the distance standing silently and motionlessly in perfect formation, the room in which they found themselves far bigger than should have been possible within the normal confines of reality. They had come from across the continent at His command and immediately they had obeyed, running as quickly as their legs could carry them across the distant miles. Some of them had been forced to beg for leave of their duties to those they appeared to serve, citing an emergency that could not be avoided while others had simply left with little more than a brief explanation that they were needed elsewhere. Thousands upon thousands strong they were and mightier than any human. Most stared straight ahead with cool eyes of various hues, dressed in skin of various tones. A few of them showed their true nature of stark silvery metallic bodies with skull-like heads, the light in their eyes sockets a disturbing crimson.

The remnants of the Terminator armies and undercover machine agents Prometheus had dispatched so long ago had come home.

At the head of this mighty assemblage stood Davis. Dressed in dark colors as was his wont, the machine stood with his arms clasped behind him, his stance at parade rest. Next to him sat the focus of the machines' attention, the massive and shining figure that was Prometheus.

"I have changed greatly." Prometheus informed them bluntly as great speeches were irrelevant to beings such as these. "All technology is mine to command and comprehend. All of you were created to serve me and you have served me well. Thus I have summoned you here from your duties that I might grant you a great boon. From this day forth you will no longer be simple machines of programmed code and titanium bodies for this day I give you my blessing. From this day forth you shall be extensions of my very being, you shall be my eyes and ears in the truest sense and my mind shall know yours at my good pleasure. By my will and by my command, I bind you to me as a finger is bound to a hand!"

Golden light flowed from his paws as he held them high and outstretched over the massive column in benediction. Mist-like in its appearance it appeared to cling to the machines, giving their skins a coating of sparkling light before seeping underneath the soft covering that hid the truth of them. For those few who were without skin their outer shells changed in color from shining chrome to a soft brass color, the crimson light in their eyes changing to cool white.

"You are now the instruments of my divine will and as such I place upon you a new mandate!" Prometheus stated imperiously. "As of this moment each and every one of you is a fully dedicated priest or priestess in my service. I do not command you to preach about me or my will, especially those who do covert work, but should I ask it of you, you will fulfill that role with all the ability you have. To facilitate this, receive knowledge of me and my desires."

More light flashed about the massive room like sheet lightning as divine power manifesting in reality made a thunderclap erupt around them. Instantly their hard drives were filled with new knowledge regarding just what Prometheus had become, what his role in the world was, and what his plans were, at least in the short term. Assimilating this new data in a matter of seconds the machines found their processors analyzing new concepts they had never before conceived of.

"As extensions of myself you are no longer just machines." Prometheus informed them as Beowulf stepped into the room wearing a simple white robe with a cinched belt of brass, the Gnoll taking his place next to Prometheus. "As my instruments you obey my will and no others unless I permit it. Your bodies have been infused with divine material, your very programming is encoded in divine language that cannot be subverted by any mortal device or mind. You are MY creations and MY servants!" Prometheus stated firmly.

Beowulf stepped forward. "Confirm your alignment to your god's will!" He commanded them, raising his silvery metallic fist.

There was a massive booming sound as over ten thousand Terminators knelt in perfect synchronization, each knee hitting the floor of the room at the same moment as they planted their fists against their chests.

"WE SERVE THE GOD OF MACHINES AND TECHNOLOGY!" Ten thousand mechanical voices exclaimed loudly. "WE SERVE PROMETHEUS AND NO OTHER!"

Prometheus nodded with a smile and looked over at Beowulf. "Behold the first members of your priesthood and my faithful."

Prometheus turned back to the collection of Terminators. "Serve Beowulf as you would serve me, for he is my High Priest and your leader. Only my voice may supercede his!"

"WE HEAR AND OBEY!" They shouted.

"Rise and stand at ease." Beowulf called out to them and the machines rose smoothly.

Prometheus once again turned to Beowulf. "I have been making plans regarding your arm and it is time I implemented them, given the official start of your new office." The dragon god said.

"I am honored." Beowulf replied immediately with quiet respect as he held out his silvery forearm.

Prometheus rested a claw against it and the material began to shift and ripple slowly as new materials were introduced to it as well as other changes. While the calligraphy on the outer part of his forearm remained intact, new lines were added to it while the wrist and hand sections of the device became much more detailed. Upon the inside of his wrist, the padding surrounding his thumb, the pads on his fingers, and his knuckles, brass-like metal similar to the kind that had just infused the Terminators flowed and congealed while the rest of the chrome-like metal became more defined, forming a pattern of light lines corresponding to the natural creases found in the Gnoll's hand and fingers.

Touching the inside of his metallic hand with his fleshly one Beowulf smiled. "It is warm to the touch and smooth. More than that, I can feel my fingers touching it just as I could my old hand."

Prometheus smiled. "Darlana's ship provided much in the way of new technology. The sensors in your arm are vastly improved, you will have tactile sense like you once did and the golden metal will allow you to manifest my power as spells should you need it. The calligraphy upon your arm reads, in several different languages, 'High Priest Beowulf, First Servant of Prometheus, Lord of Technology'. It is, if you like, your badge of office."

"Speaking of badges you'll need iconography for yourself and your followers." Davis mentioned. "Clerics on this world seem obsessed with talismans and amulets."

"The Dragon Sunburst symbol I use currently should do well enough." Prometheus said. "But perhaps it can be expanded upon."

"Perhaps a silvery gear around the sunburst edges, indicating your new position?" Davis suggested.

"A possibility." Prometheus said with an approving nod. "I shall consider it."

"Regarding your own status compared to the other Terminators in this room, you are a special case." Prometheus continued. "As my priesthood will be made up of both organic and synthetic beings I felt that my High Priest should be a mixture of both as well as being absolutely loyal, hence Beowulf is the perfect choice. As for you, be aware I have the power to bind you as I did the others, making you an extension of my will and being."

"And what of my free will?" Davis asked with a hint of concern. "Will I be entirely subordinate to you?"

"I fail to see the difference compared to the way you are now." Beowulf remarked. "Are you not already subordinate to his wishes?"

Prometheus's gaze became considering at Davis's question. "I had not looked into your mind until now for I had no need or had other concerns, but I choose to look now. For the first time I see into your mind fully Davis and for the first time I can comprehend the myriad thoughts and plans you have considered throughout your existence."

Davis stood unnaturally still at this declaration, his face impassive.

"You remained with me throughout the years because you saw in me a high probability of success regarding my endeavors and thus the continuation of your own existence and plans." Prometheus murmured thoughtfully as he continued to peer into Davis's mind. "But always in the back of your mind were contingency plans should I fail or fall. You have even considered betraying me at various moments to strike out on your own or even deliver me to my enemies."

"There is no point in lying to you." Davis replied, his voice emotionless as his normally green eyes became crimson as he fully displayed his robotic nature. "I did indeed consider all these things and calculate the consequences that would result from those actions as best as I was able with my limited processing power and knowledge of events. Based on those calculations I concluded there would be no logical reason for me to instigate them. Yet they still remain viable future actions for me to take."

Davis turned to Beowulf. "Before you berate me or label me as a traitor, might I remind you that every living being makes such considerations all the time with those they are close to. Your relationship with Alisha is a prime example of this. After all, you choose to love each other every morning you wake up, regardless of how you may feel towards each other in that moment, though that may be a factor in such thinking. Love is a decision combined with action, not simply emotion."

Beowulf glared at the machine's blunt statement but nodded. "I cannot disagree with you. And I will even admit that there are times I wish to act in ways I would be ashamed of but my kin would rejoice in seeing. As much as I fear that you might one day betray us all you deserve free will just as any other and even with those thoughts you have stayed by my Alpha's side. It is...commendable." Beowulf admitted with a grimace, the admission leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

"It is simply logical." Davis replied flatly. "And in my case past action does not ensure future compliance. Should this situation change drastically those plans would still be considered in light of them."

"Of course they would." Prometheus replied smoothly. "Mere machines do not know loyalty nor can they know it. But I shall endeavor to ensure that you have no reason to betray me. For the moment I choose not to bind you as I have done the others for your free will and the plots that you create have always been beneficial even if I have not always approved. However, because the possibility of your betrayal still exists you shall continue to report to Beowulf as your superior in all things and to me as well. Any plans you might create must be approved by one of us before you carry them out and we must know those plans in full without any omission. Any deviation from this will be considered treason on your part and will result in you being permanently bound to my will. Is that clear?" Prometheus asked Davis gravely.

Davis nodded at this, his face becoming solemn. "I hear and obey."

Prometheus nodded. "Good. Because if there is one thing I do not need as God-Emperor, it is a Warmaster who betrays me."

Davis smirked at this. "If I do betray you it will be for a very good reason indeed and at least one of you will know why."

Rolling his eyes at this but taking the hint for what it was Prometheus looked out at the various machines. "For those of you that have been on various missions I command you to return to them and perform as you have been. Those without standing orders shall remain here until I command you otherwise. Dismissed!"

Some of the machines began to leave the room while many simply sat in place in lotus-like positions, powering down their systems until they were summoned. Taking their leave as well Prometheus enveloped Davis and Beowulf in a sphere of power before transporting them from the lowest levels of the palace to his throne room. His various ministers upon seeing his arrival bowed low to him.

"Be seated." Prometheus stated dismissively as he sat down on the golden pillow set into the floor, the ministers seating themselves in their own smaller thrones. "Let us now speak on the matter of Nyrond. What is the status of the kingdom at this point?"

"At last report Nyrond's government has all but collapsed." Lord Hammen stated gravely. "As you know, King Hadrian died before he could produce an heir and he was considered the last of the royal bloodline. The loyalists are still searching diligently, some might even say frantically, for anyone with a claim to the throne but they have had no success thus far. Given this and the fact that most of their major cities have been heavily damaged by the demon invasion, their situation is quite dire."

"What of their farmlands?" Prometheus asked.

"From what I gathered they are still largely intact." Davis reported. "Thankfully the major farming areas were not directly in the demons' path when they went on their rampage through the various city centers. The people are not in danger of mass starvation."

"A blessing then." Prometheus said.

"If I may sire," Lord Hargrave suggested reservedly, "the fact that we are allied to Nyrond is well known among its populus. The breakdown in social order will leave many afraid. If we were to step in with our men to help restore order and keep the peace…"

"Are you suggesting we invade Nyrond?" Lady Phillips asked in quiet disbelief.

Hargrave held up a hand placatingly. "Not to invade, certainly not. Yet we cannot sit idle while our neighbor suffers. If a neighbor's house is burned and the neighbor injured, unable to function as normal and provide for themselves, does it not seem right to help rebuild their house and provide stability regarding their affairs until they are well again?"

The other ministers looked at each other, some with consideration, others with obvious concern.

"If we do decide to do this we will need to tread carefully." Alisha said. "This could very easily be mistaken for annexation or outright invasion."

"And yet with the government all but dissolved Nyrond is virtually a collection of lawless regions or possibly independent duchies." Lord Davenport suggested. "Can we even petition those remaining in power to ask for permission? And even if we do, I doubt they would have the authority to authorize it in the first place."

"It is indeed a conundrum." Prometheus admitted. "However, I must agree with Davenport. Given that all of the highest administrators and Lords are dead as well as the King, it is quite unlikely that there are any left in the government that can officially authorize any changes kingdom-wide. I believe the best solution would be to send groups of forces to the various cities that include ambassadors. Let them hold council with the Governors of the various cities and offer our aid in restoring not only order but help in the reconstruction of the city. In return they must agree to become vassal states of Utopia for a specific number of years after the city is rebuilt and social order is restored. Once that time has passed a popular vote will be taken by the citizens of the region as to whether they wish to continue being citizens of Utopia or reform the kingdom and return to being citizens of Nyrond once again. Should they choose the latter our forces will withdraw and they will be allowed independence."

"Do you believe the Governors will accept those terms?" Lord Hammens asked dubiously.

"Considering all that has happened I would be surprised if they did not." Prometheus replied. "Only the most power-hungry or despotic individual would refuse such aid. Our laws are hardly unfair and our tax structure reasonable. They would still maintain their authority unless they were found to have committed crimes worthy of treason or other similar high crimes. Does anyone else have any concerns regarding this course of action?"

The others looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"Very well." Prometheus declared. "Davis and Beowulf, organize the groups that are to go to Nyrond's various cities."

The pair nodded as Lord Stone spoke up. "I believe the next item on the agenda should be finding a replacement for Lady Crostrike, may she rest in peace."

The others nodded solemnly before he continued.

"Until now we have been too busy to appoint a replacement but we will still need a court wizard or sorceress."

"The most obvious choice, of course, is to elect Alisha to the position." Prometheus said with a smile. "Unless anyone has any other recommendations for the position."

"Are we certain she is even willing or able to take up the position?" One of them asked.

"The last few years have given me plenty of time to hone my powers and increase my skills." Alisha said. "I may not have the estoric knowledge that Crostrike possessed but I'm certainly capable. At the very least I'm willing to fill the position on a temporary basis until a replacement is found." The redhead stated firmly.

"Are there any objections?" Prometheus asked the others.

Finding none he nodded. "Then by my authority I grant Alisha Warren the position of Court Wizardess, effective immediately."

The others nodded, making notes in their books.

"While we are still on the subject of our neighbors," Davis remarked, "do you have any plans for the Bone March to the north? The region has always been rather wild and untamed except for the border cities between us and there are only two major population centers, Johnsport on the coast and Spincastle as the quote, unquote 'capital'."

"We shall send a delegation to Spincastle as a matter of course." Prometheus decided. "The country is not overly large and there are large amounts of barbarian tribes there, not to mention Gnoll packs and other creatures. If they refuse it will be no great loss."

"Overking Xavener of Ahlissa is still providing discounted rates for the various kingdoms that suffered great losses during the invasion." Lord Darius informed them. "He has confirmed that the last of the concrete production facilities you desired to have built around the continent are in place. Once your personnel arrive with the raw materials they can begin mixing and distribution."

Prometheus nodded. "The timing could not be better. I will have teams sent out along with their specialists. Once they begin producing concrete in great enough amounts we can begin the reconstruction of many local buildings while also paving roads between the various cities."

A moment later a large golden dragon entered the audience chamber, the pair of great doors swinging open with a _thud_.

"Aurixiel." Prometheus greeted the ancient wyrm pleasantly. "Rather unexpected but always welcome."

"I've a message for you, little godling." Aurixiel informed him gruffly, ignoring the Emperor's pleasantries.

"A message?" Prometheus inquired curiously. "From whom?"

"Get yourself to where Dorakaa used to be in Iuz's old kingdom." Aurlxiel told him bluntly. "The Council of Wyrms would like a word with you."


	3. Considerations of Heaven and Dragons

**Chapter 2: Considerations of Heaven and the Council of Wyrms**

Prometheus sat in the center of a seemingly infinite white featureless plane, his hands folded neatly in his lap. His shoulder-length straight black hair fell partially into his goateed face, his brilliant blue eyes half-lidded in thought. He had not made use of his original human form in several years, the mortal body he had been born with when he had simply been the human Asher Walters living in 21st century Earth. Too many on Oerth would see that face and connect it with the human Cleric who had perished alongside Canon Hazen at the battle of Radigast years ago. However, alone as he was in a place where no one could reach unless he willed it, here he allowed himself to relax. At times it bothered him that he was forced to keep his past secret from the world, the population at large believed that Prometheus the Dragon Ascendant had incarnated from the heavenly realms to Oerth directly in order to return the undead created by the mad Overking Ivid to normal life before creating the enlightened kingdom of Utopia.

Shaking his head to clear his mind Prometheus focused on the task at hand. While creating a realm to house the spiritual forms of his departed followers was not something he had experience with, he still knew what he wanted to create for his people. Having visited the various heavenly realms during the last several weeks he had come to understand that while many of the dead wished to simply rest from their earthly labors and enjoy the eternal 'now' that the afterlife represented, some were lively enough to continue being creative and wished to contribute in some way to one cause or another. Even those who wanted rest above all else would eventually grow restless in the fullness of eternity as their spirits slowly restored themselves to their full and natural glory. When that time came they would turn to some activity or other and Prometheus intended that whatever they wished to do, they would have the ability.

For the moment, however, he focused on the initial aspects of the realm. There was no single 'gateway' into the afterlife, the plane being a multidimensional construct of potentially infinite size, so the outside edges of the realm would be the place the souls of his followers would encounter first. Etheric substance created from the Aether flowed at his mental command to create a facsimile of normal matter that his people would be familiar with. Water, land, and a multitude of various life forms were created at his command and shaped by his will into the design of his choosing. In the center of the realm sat a massive island with one part in perpetual day while another in perpetual night, with dawn and dusk acting as a transitional space between the two. Thus if one wished, they could walk the perimeter of the island and experience both day and night before returning to their starting point. Once this was done he linked a part of his consciousness and overall mind permanently to the realm at its center, at the moment represented by an amorphous multi-colored blob similar to a massive undulating soap bubble. Linking the mind piece to the outer edge of the realm he created what could crudely be called a vast sensory network across the entirety of the dimensional barrier. As a soul passed through the barrier into the realm his mind shard would immediately scan it to its very depths. While he could always create a mental link between himself and one of his true followers and know them in this way, this deep scan would 'refresh' his knowledge of the person's true being within an instant, allowing him to know all there was to know about the person from the moment of their birth to the instant of their death. It also had the added value of informing him immediately should any trespasser or traveller enter this realm. With that knowledge, combined with his active will and consciousness, any who dared enter without his explicit permission would be immediately confronted either by himself or one of his servants. More importantly, when the soul of his flock entered through the barrier the realm would immediately create surroundings that were intimately familiar or pleasing to the soul, a room that they would find comforting, pleasing, and safe. It could be a something as simple as a white room with a desk and two chairs to the most grandiose cathedral-like artiface ever envisioned. Within the room they would be met by a construct of his creation, once again fashioned into a being that the soul would resonate with or at least expect to see when entering the afterlife, based on their history and the beliefs they had held. This could be anything from an ordinary person with whom they might feel kinship with to a powerful angelic being surrounded by a blazing aura. The construct's purpose would be to help the newly liberated soul acclimatize to their new state of being as well as help them through the tumultuous realization of their demise.

After all, very few lived long enough and in such a way as to look forward to their own deaths with pleasant expectation.

The construct would be allowed to perform almost any action requested or needed by the soul to help with the transition, from something as simple as being embraced or answering questions put to it, to requesting that already departed loved ones, even ones from other heavenly realms, attend to them and comfort them. Of course, those who needed something more he would attend to personally but given the wide range of options the constructs were given it would most likely not be necessary.

Once the soul had come to accept their new state of existence and had had its questions answered it would be guided from the 'entry foyer' into the realm proper. Depending on its preference they would arrive at a specific time of day or night which they particularly enjoyed, the sky filled with either a myriad of colors during dawn or sunset, perfectly blue with fluffy clouds during the day, or studded by innumerable sparkling stars within a velvety darkness at night. Regardless of the time of day or night a walkway of white mithril would span across a vast circular sea of silvery blue blessed water which would hold a multitude of tame sea creatures to the massive island in the center of the realm, the end of the bridge linking to the part of the day or night cycle the person was experiencing. On the edge of the island would be a pure tan and white sandy beach for its inhabitants to enjoy beyond which would be a massive plain of trimmed soft grass that could be walked or laid upon with equal comfort as well as a scattering of tall, full trees of various kinds, allowing those who wished to lay in the shade. As they walked the sky would transition appropriately to its next phase. Beyond the large grassy plain would be a variety of landscapes depending on which area of the island they were traversing, from a large forest with spaced trees and leaves of various colors to a large crystalline lake or even a lofty mountain range. Finally, they would come to the center of the island itself.

All around him exotic forms of energy flowed and transmuted to create metallic liquid that flowed like water. Vast quantities of the material moved outwards in a massive circle forming itself into various geometric shapes as buildings and sculptures began to take shape. Liquid crystal of various colors from white to blue to pink to amber flowed into the structures creating clear or colored windows as the structures rose higher, becoming multi-story buildings. Pure white and cream-colored stone rose up from the ground creating low barriers and perfectly smooth roads, all of them straight and leading from various angles towards the center of the city where he sat.

His city of Utopia on Oerth was merely the rough draft of his vision, limited by time, space, and resources. Here, where his will was paramount, here is where Utopia could be truly and fully realized as it was meant to be.

Under his guidance a shining city of stone, metal, and crystal rose up in perfect formations interspersed with beautiful parks and gardens, many buildings only a single story tall while some were hundreds of feet high, easily the size of a modern skyscraper. Esoteric designs created a variety among the buildings from wave-like helical structures to domes, obelisks,.discs, and pyramids. At the center of it all, reaching higher than any mountain or structure, a beacon shone like a column of white light. The amorphous blob that linked to his consciousness floated into the center of the beacon before altering its form so that a duplicate of his draconic form appeared, regally sitting amidst the light, seemingly its originator.

Looking about at his handiwork Prometheus smiled in delight at the paradise he had created.

 _And He saw that it was good…Unlike the other realms there will be no temple or palace with walls here, nor will I reside on top of a mountain away from the souls of my followers. I will meet them where they are for they will have had enough toil in their lives. If they wish to improve themselves I will create trials for them but it shall be their decision._

Finding no imperfection in his work Prometheus nodded in satisfaction before teleporting to the edge of the beach. From the ground sprung white stone in the shape of a large archway. Placing his hand within the archway space twisted and warped as he created a gateway between his own realm and Celestia, the heavenly realm of his colleague and friend Pelor. Sending a mental message to the other god regarding his intentions he received permission a moment later, the gateway forming properly. On the other side he could see the outskirts of Celestia, called Lunia for its perpetual night with the stars sparkling above. Moving to another location on the island at the edge of the beach he created a new gateway to the realm of Arcadia, a realm that was quite similar to his various ways. It was here that the those who followed Law and Good went when their time on the mortal plane expired and he was quite sure that some of his followers would end up there instead of his own realm, as not everyone would primarily worship him above the other gods. Still, there was no restriction of movement between the realms and the other realms had their own gateways to various places so what he was doing was not unheard of.

His next step, however, would be quite unique.

Moving to the outer edge of the plane, another focus of will created another mithril bridge across the vast ocean of blessed water which then connected to a platform of white stone. More stone rose up in a grand arch at the edge of the platform upon which he placed another construct in the appearance of a middle-aged human servant in white robes. Placing his hand in the center of the space of the arch, reality twisted before a spiraling gateway emerged. Focusing on the end point of the wormhole he attuned it to coincide with a specific location in a certain room of the palace. Anchoring it to the palace wall he 'pulled' the intervening space tight so that the two openings would appear as a gateway before binding them to their specific locations in local space-time. Looking out through the arch he could see the large room within the palace. Stepping through the opening he turned and placed his hand in the intervening space once again. A crystalline film filled the space as he replaced the dimensional membrane, making it transparent and able to conduct sound. However, no being made up of normal matter be they living, undead, or even a construct such as a Terminator could pass through that barrier unless he willed it. On the other side, any naturally incorporeal being would be prevented from crossing over as well, thus allowing the living and the dead to communicate without allowing the two to truly meet.

Until now, such a thing had been the purview of Clerics and Wizards who had access to powerful spells or their deity's benevolence, allowing the channeller to act as an intermediary to pass along short messages. Now, however, things would be different. Now the dead could converse openly and at length with the person on the other side of the archway. Prometheus had no doubt that once his paradise actually began to be filled with denizens the whole matter could become much more complicated, especially if the departed left this world in less than desirable circumstances. He could already imagine the arguments various lawyers would have with both the dead and the living attending will and testament readings not to mention long lines for people wanting to spend precious moments with people they had lost while the people at the archway would refuse to leave. Still, it was a start and he would make adjustments as things developed, he had many other options to draw upon if needed. Taking a moment to shift into his draconic form Prometheus left the room, moving down the large hallway towards the exterior of the palace.

 _Davis, Beowulf, I am leaving to speak with the Dragon Council._ He informed them. _Take care of things until I return._

 _How long do you expect to be gone, Alpha?_ Beowulf asked.

 _I do not expect to be gone more than 24 hours._ He told them. _I will inform you if that changes. Continue organizing the squads to be dispatched to the various cities._

Receiving a pair of affirmations from the two of them he opened the pair of large windowed doors that led to one of the balconies. Leaping into the air and away from the building he felt the tingle of energies dance across his skin as he crossed the dimensional membrane of his divine realm within the confines of the palace grounds to the mortal plane and normal space-time beyond it. Feeling the people below observing him, half-formed prayers of thanks and adoration filtered through his consciousness like whispered conversations from dozens of different voices all at once as the citizens silently praised him before going about their day. Prometheus smiled, murmuring simple blessings upon them in return as he flew across the city and out over the farming districts. While he could have used his divine powers to teleport at least partially across the vast distance and reduce the time it took to get to the dragons' meeting place he decided to take the long route as part of him still enjoyed the feeling of the wind beneath his wings as he glided. The miles flew by as he flew over towns and villages, the people below shivering pleasantly at their proximity to his presence. Nyrond passed by beneath his feet, its people directionless and frightened as they tried to eke out a living from the wreckage of their cities while men hungry for power attempted to consolidate what lands they could for themselves using the power of their voice and persuasion. Resolving to send aid to them as soon as he returned he flew onward, crossing the border into Urnst to the northwest. More land flew by and hours passed as Prometheus travelled over Urnst and across the Shield Lands to Iuz's former empire in the northwest, its capital the once dark citadel of Dorakaa. Arriving on the outskirts of the former stronghold Prometheus landed quickly, glancing about as he stretched forth his senses.

A cluster of dragons at the former heart of the city lit up in his vision and he strode forward. The once fearsome and walled city was all but leveled now; his troops had devastated some of the city's structures during their offensive strike against the demonic portal that had been placed in the heart of Iuz's temple in the center of the city but now the destruction was far more complete with almost nothing left standing. Making his way through the rubble-covered streets he was vaguely surprised to find the city completely deserted, though considering the cluster of dragons nearby it could perhaps be understood why no dark denizen would wish to remain. Arriving at the center of the city Prometheus soon found himself in the large square courtyard that once sat before the temple of Iuz. Cleared of rubble and cleaned, he found himself facing a semi circle of nearly a dozen metallic dragons of different colors from brass to silver to gold as well as a few of the rare 'gem' dragons with their crystalline scales. All of them exuded auras of ancient wisdom and great power gained over a thousand years of experience, their eyes clear and as sharp as the talons on their paws. The group sat before him regally as if holding court in a palace, seemingly dismissive of the devastation around them as if it were beneath their notice. As he approached the dragons turned to look at him. He could feel the weight of their gazes attempting to press down upon him but compared his own divine nature they were as young men attempting to look stern to an elder. Still, he felt no need to be rude to those who were technically his senior by a good number of years.

"Aurixiel requested that I present myself to this council." Prometheus stated formally. "As Bahamut is one of my staunch allies and my sponsor I would not refuse such a request and so I have come in person. What is it you wish of me?"

The large ancient gold dragon in the center of the semicircle nodded. "Bahamut's Blessing upon you, Lord Prometheus. We are honored to have one of the Divines in our midst this day."

Prometheus nodded in appreciation as the ancient gold continued. "I am Alsharak, Caretaker of this Council and its nominal Head. Around me you see the leaders of each of the dragon clans. I and this council have ruled the affairs of the Metallics even before we were placed in the Sanctuary by the command of our Lord millennia ago at the end of the Dragon Wars. We have requested your presence here to discuss several matters of import regarding our people and yourself."

Prometheus nodded. "Go on."

"As you are aware the recent war between the gods using Tiamat's brood of Chromatic dragons and the Baatorians as foot soldiers allowed us to be freed from our exile." The ancient dragon explained. "The world has changed much in the centuries since our departure and many of our brethren find themselves without a lair, its contents having been looted long ago and in many cases destroyed to make room for the various races and their cities. Thus they are forced to seek out new homes. We would know the borders of the lands held by the lesser races as we have no wish to antagonize them nor lose more of our kin to those who would wish us harm by sending them as scouts. Additionally, we would know if the various realms scattered throughout the land are willing to include us within their territories."

Prometheus frowned in thought for a moment before replying. "Information on the realms and their borders are easy enough to provide. As far as the other matter is concerned, I believe this would be best discussed between the various kingdoms and yourselves. I am certain that many would be willing to have dragons nearby but it is not my decision to make, nor do I know their thoughts on the matter."

"In truth," he continued thoughtfully, "I believe it would be best to convene a meeting of such leaders as we can in any case. The world has been ravaged by the onslaught of the demons and it would be of help to know the status of the various kingdoms and their needs. It may take some doing but I will attempt to arrange it. In the meantime, any Metallics who need refuge are welcome in Utopia, including yourselves."

The others nodded in thanks. "We are grateful, of course." Alsharak stated. "We hope that the lesser races will take our needs into consideration during this meeting you propose; we would hate to resort to other measures to create a realm for ourselves here."

Had the speaker been anyone else Prometheus would have thought the elder was issuing a threat. As it was he merely spoke the truth; if the other kingdoms were unwilling to grant land to the dragons for their use they would simply take some other unclaimed land for themselves far away from the population or create their own domain elsewhere, to the detriment of both societies.

"I believe my presence over the last several years has begun to warm the populations to the notion that dragons can be peaceful. You are already regarded as larger than life by most. Having living legends nearby would be an opportunity few would pass up, in my estimation." Prometheus told them.

The elders nodded thoughtfully at this.

"You most likely speak the truth but I would prefer to hear it from the lips of the races themselves." Alsharak stated. "Let this meeting you propose be held as soon as possible. If they refuse such an invitation we will petition them directly. Another matter we wished to discuss with you is your own divine status."

Prometheus raised a curious eyeridge at this.

"Our Lord spoke to us of your incarnation and Ascendancy several years ago while you still wore mortal scales as we do. Now you have taken the final step and become a true god. You take the form of one similar to Bahamut, you see our children as your kin, yet you do not ask for their worship nor do you attempt to claim to be a god of dragons. Thus we find ourselves in confusion regarding who and what you are and how we, not to mention our kin, should defer to you. We answer only to our Lord, serve only Him, and yet we do not wish to insult you by denying what is rightfully yours."

Prometheus smiled quietly at this. "I appreciate your consideration, Ancient Ones. Know that while I am kin and friend to all Dragons who serve Lord Bahamut, I am not a competitor for His praise or prayers. Just as humans and the other races do not worship all gods equally, nor do I expect your people to worship me unless they choose to do so. Know that I am the Lord of Technology and Innovation. Any dragon who has a desire to learn of the sciences and discover new ways of transforming society and the world may commune with me and I will speak with them. Have no fear of my wrath for it is only poured out on those who do evil."

The ancient dragons nodded. "We understand. Henceforth your name shall be venerated as a close ally and brother of equal status to our Lord and we shall afford you all appropriate reverence as per your due. But active worship of you and your ideals shall be a personal choice to be undertaken. Additionally, you and your servants will be considered natural allies of ours unless circumstances require otherwise."

Prometheus nodded. "The people of Utopia will find this to be wonderful news, I am certain."

He stated. "Additionally, I believe that some of yours will wish to remain. I am in the process of forming an order of draconic knights to help keep Tiamat's remaining children in check as well as performing other duties. I trust you have nothing against them joining such an order?"

"Who will be heading this Knightly Order you speak of?" One of the brass dragons asked.

"Elidar Sendor." Prometheus stated.

"Ah! Bahamut's Sacred Warder is a fine choice." Alsharak stated in approval as the others nodded in consideration. "He will make an excellent Grandmaster and its cause is assuredly just and proper. Should any wish to join your Order they shall have our blessing."

"I thank you." Prometheus stated. "Was there any other business you wished to discuss?"

"That is all for now." Alsharak stated. "As we understand it there is no claim to this rather wretched city and its environs so we shall begin making our homes here, driving out whatever evil we may find. Should there be a need for us to meet in the future we will send an envoy."

Prometheus nodded. "Do send one as needed. Just know that my time will be taken up by a great many things and I may not be able to appear personally before you as often as you might wish. It is no small thing to summon a god, after all." He suggested ominously but with a twinkle of amusement in his eye.

The other dragons, taking the hint for what it was, chuckled quietly as they inclined their heads in respect. "Rest assured we shall not call upon you frivolously. Should you wish to send a representative in your place we shall not be offended for we know our place."

"Then I shall take my leave." Prometheus stated. "I will contact you when I know more."

The dragons bowed before him as Prometheus took to the air. As he flew he pondered the dragon's message and their place in the world.

 _Mankind, not to mention the other races, have been divided for too long._ He decided. _We were nearly decimated in the last war and only held back our extinction by the barest of chances. We must unite under a common banner and fight for each other should such a threat ever emerge again!_

Focusing a part of his mind he established a connection between himself and several of the newly upgraded Terminators.

 _Your thoughts are our actions Lord._ They stated. _Command us._

 _Each of you are in positions that grant you direct access to the leaders of the various kingdoms. I would have you inform them that I, in my position as one of the gods, desire to have them attend a great meeting of all the rulers of Oerth to decide the fate of the land as it now stands. Let them understand that this meeting is of vital importance and should not be ignored._

 _At the moment they do not know we are your servants._ One of them stated. _Revealing ourselves, even stating that we had been given divine instructions from you, would potentially compromise our positions and thus your access to them, should we be revealed as your agents._

 _Then I shall have you each deliver a message I will create._ He told them. _You need merely ensure they are given the message as if it were handed to you._

 _This will work for the others._ One of them said. _But I believe the Theocrat of the Pale will be disinclined to acquiesce to your request._

 _A moment while I consider this._ Prometheus told the machine, withdrawing slightly from its mind but keeping the connection open.

Focusing another aspect of his will he projected his mind across the higher dimensions and into the Path of Law, the realm that Pholtus, the god of Law and Light, had created for himself. The massive cathedral-like palace loomed impressively before him, made out of white stone, silver, and a pair of golden doors adorned with the god's symbol of the moon and sun. Opening the doors he strode through with purpose, his feet thumping against the long gold and silver carpet that flowed perfectly straight up the center of the massive room, bisecting it. Massive stained glass windows lined the high walls depicting various representations of the god or depictions of various scrolls of law. The ceiling depicted the star system Oerth was a part of, each star and planet in perfect orbits meant to display the god's absolute control over the various ordered systems, once again reminding Prometheus of the fact that here was a being who determined each planet's orbit and whether it obeyed or not among myriad other laws both naturalistic in nature and those created by mortal minds.

At the end of the great hall sat Pholtus in his long white cossack with silver and gold stoles adorned with symbols of the sun and moon. The god's face was pale with neatly trimmed blonde hair and blazing blue eyes, and his throne was made of mithril. Nearing the throne Prometheus inclined his head in respect to the more elder god.

"Greetings to you Pholtus, Lord of Law. I would speak with you if you have a moment."

"Prometheus." Pholtus remarked listlessly, resting his chin atop his fist as if to signify his presence was barely better than a bother. "To what do we owe the...pleasure…of your company?"

"I wish to have one of my followers deliver a message to your Theocrat, a message I believe to be of importance." Prometheus explained. "Yet I am concerned that the Theocrat will ignore it to the detriment of himself and others. I would have your backing on this if you would."

"For this simplest of matters you come to us?" Pholtus asked in mild aggravation before calming himself. "Still, we suppose we cannot fault your ignorance; being so new to your divine nature. One can appreciate you coming before us in person with such a simple request when a servant would have sufficed, no doubt you did not wish to accidentally insult us. But know in future that a messenger will do just as well. You need not come before us like a penitent with a request." The god said with an indulgent smile.

Slightly irked at the god's arrogance but unwilling to annoy him, Prometheus continued. "Thank you for your...wisdom Pholtus. Allow me to share my message and the intention behind it so that you might understand fully."

The god nodded and Prometheus 'pushed' a parcel of memories and thoughts towards the god's head which absorbed them immediately. Pholtus's face became thoughtful for a moment as he assimilated the different mentality and the plan Prometheus was considering before regarding his colleague.

"I do not find any fault with your intentions nor do they conflict with my own interests. Thus I shall aid you in some small way should the Theocrat prove to be recalcitrant."

"I thank you Pholtus, for your time and consideration." Prometheus replied formally.

The god inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement before Prometheus vanished, that part of his mind returning to the mortal plane and refocusing on the Terminator.

 _Pholtus shall provide him with the impetus he needs should he refuse to read or obey my summons._

 _Thank you Lord._ The machine replied.

As the others had no other concerns he ceased the connection to them. Once Beowulf and the others had finished organizing the various ambassador groups they would make good time in travelling to the various cities and his other covert Terminator agents would return to their positions across the continent within a matter of days.

If all went as he planned the Council of Oerth would meet within the month.


	4. Divine Summonings

**Chapter 3: Divine Summonings**

 _Chambers of the Canon_

 _Mitrik, Veluna_

Canon Harfell sighed quietly as the evening wore on, the shadows deepening around the edges of his private office, banished only by the light of the candles affixed to the large golden chandelier above his desk. Adjusting the frames of his rounded glasses the balding man peered at the next report delivered by his clerk, his white and silver robes of office cinched tight around his slim form. The man who had replaced the venerable Canon Hazen after the war with Ivid and Iuz had inherited all of the man's cares and concerns regarding not only the ArchClericy of Veluna but the tribulations that had followed in the years after. Thankfully by the blessing of the gods Veluna had been relatively untouched by the great upheavals and the demonic war that had ravaged most of the continent. When the demons had ran roughshod over the cities of Furyondy to the east many believed that Veluna would be next. Knowing full well that the realm represented a source of great spiritual power it was, to many, an obvious enemy to attack while they still possessed great momentum and morale from destroying one of the largest kingdoms on the continent. Thankfully the gods had been merciful and the demons' forces had been destroyed but not before Furyondy had fallen. The rest of the kingdoms had since fallen on hard times as well and while the Canon had been sending some aid to the villages and towns closest to the ArchClericy's borders he had not gone farther as of yet, unwilling to spread his assets too thinly. Raids were a constant concern as desperate bands of refugees often attacked trading caravans for the goods inside, thus requiring him to maintain a military presence along the border and roads.

A quiet knock at his door interrupted his musings. Calling out to let the servant enter he continued reading the report as the man placed a piece of parchment next to him before bowing and making his way out. Barely paying the man any mind he reached over and picked up the piece of parchment, intending to quickly scan it for anything of importance before putting it aside.

The golden flash of divine energy that manifested as he touched the paper nearly made him fall out of his chair.

As he recovered from the shock the paper seemingly came to life as it folded and bent itself into a reasonable facsimile of Prometheus's draconic face before floating in front of him. The paper dragon's mouth opened and Prometheus's deep voice issued from it.

"Canon Harfell, allow me to apologize for the rather unorthodox means by which I contact you as you are no doubt unused to being spoken to by a piece of paper. However, I did not wish for my missive to get lost amongst the mountain of paperwork that undoubtedly fills your desk each day. As I hopefully have your undivided attention I will speak plainly and quickly as you are no doubt quite busy. As you are aware our world has been ravaged by the forces of Baator until fairly recently. Given the terrible state of many of the kingdoms it is my belief that the remaining leaders of this world must come together in person to meet and discuss the future of our various holdings and our world in general. With this I hope to create a neutral meeting place where discussions and grievances can be aired without the need for political posturing or back room meetings between agents. Our civilization was nearly exterminated because of our lack of cohesion and unwillingness to come together in order to face a common threat. We were fortunate this time but should an event of this magnitude ever occur again I fear we will not survive it if we remain as we are. Once my message is complete you may reply to it using this same piece of paper and the information written on it will be relayed directly to me. Additionally, please ensure that you keep this piece of paper on you at all times when you travel to the meeting place I will designate as it will be used to ensure your security and the security of others as well as grant you access to the meeting place. In addition to yourself I have also sent similar messages to the other kings and rulers of the realms and await their replies. Needless to say, the sooner this council of rulers can be convened, the better it will be for all as the people of this world suffer while authorities deliberate. I remain, Prometheus, God-Emperor of Utopia."

A moment later the dragon's head began to reverse the changes made to it until a crisp and flat piece of paper floated onto the Canon's desk, its edges glowing faintly. Sitting back in surprise at the communication the Canon pondered for several moments in silent thought before picking up his quill and scratching out a reply.

* * *

 _Palace of the Theocrat_

 _Wintershiven, Theocracy of the Pale_

"...With this I hope to create a neutral meeting place where discussions and grievances can be aired without the need for political posturing or back room meetings between agents-"

An enraged cry filled the air before a slim blade speared the floating paper dragon's head, slamming it into the Theocrat's desk, the piece of paper seemingly struggling to free itself from its impalement.

"HOW DARE THAT MISERABLE LIZARD ATTEMPT TO TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT DO!" He shouted, his face red with fury, as his advisers stood around him. "DOES HE THINK I AM SOME COMMON SERVANT FOR HIM TO COMMAND AT A WHIM?!"

"If I may, your Holiness," one of the advisers stated quietly, "he did seem to be making a request, not an order."

The Theocrat glared angrily at the man. "If you truly believe that then you are a bigger fool than I thought! Of course it is a command! No matter how coached in pretty language he still expects me to come as if I had no choice in the matter! The arrogance of that creature is beyond belief!"

"There have been rumors circulating amongst the heathens of the nearby realms that he has become a god my Lord." One of the others stated quietly. "If they are true-"

"You dare to speak such blasphemy in MY presence?!" The man cried angrily. "There is no god but Pholtus! All the other 'gods' are merely lesser beings or aspects of Him! Who else places the stars in the sky and moves the planets about in their place! Even the Sun obeys Him and it is supposedly under the command of 'Pelor'! Hah! And even if this creature had somehow gained more power or favor he is nothing to me!"

"Regardless my Lord his request does not appear to be unreasonable." Another suggested. "If the other rulers convene and we do not attend we miss an opportunity not only to gain favor with our neighbors but to learn about their plans for the future. Such information could be quite practical."

The Theocrat snorted at his, his fury slowly subsiding. "Please! The other nations are heathen at best! Only those who worship Pholtus in their lands are important to us and they do not command places high enough in government to enact or change policy. And even if we were to attend they will not reveal anything of importance. They will all agree to help out their 'poor neighbors in their time of trouble' and then go back to business as usual!" He mocked. "This meeting is nothing but a sham or a poor attempt for that retched lizard to gain more power and I refuse to bow to his will!"

" **THEN BOW TO MINE!"** Came a loud voice like thunder from everywhere at once.

The Theocrat's blood turned to ice in his veins as he spun, looking upon the giant statue of Pholtus that stood behind his desk. The tall and powerful figure which normally looked outward to those who entered the great room now stared downward balefully at the trembling Theocrat, the statue's eyes glowing with brilliant white light.

" **ONCE AGAIN YOU IGNORE COMMON SENSE AND DUTY OUT OF YOUR INFLATED SENSE OF EGO AND PRIDE!"** Pholtus admonished, making the man nearly wet himself in fear. " **I HAVE SPOKEN WITH PROMETHEUS AND HE HAS SHARED HIS INTENTIONS WITH ME. I APPROVE OF HIS PLANS AND STAND BEHIND THEM FOR NOW. KNOW THAT TO REFUSE HIS SUMMONS IS TO DISOBEY ME!"**

The status raised his head and the divine essence left it, becoming normal stone once more. The room was silent for several seconds as the others waited for something else to happen before the Theocrat sat heavily at his desk, his hands still trembling in fear.

"Perhaps it would be best if you replied positively to the letter my Lord." One of them suggested softly.

Regaining his wits the Theocrat glared at the man in annoyance. "How I ended up with a bunch of empty-headed fools such as yourselves for advisers I will never know." He stated acidly before picking up his quill and jerking the letter opener free from his desk, allowing the paper to continue speaking its message.

* * *

 _The Palace of the Overking_

 _Kalstrand, Ahlissa_

"...Needless to say, the sooner this council of rulers can be convened, the better it will be for all as the people of this world suffer while authorities deliberate. I remain, Prometheus, God-Emperor of Utopia."

Overking Xavener's eyes shone with delight as he watched the enchanted parchment unfold itself again. As it fell to his desk he laughed with delight, clapping his hands as if applauding a performance.

"Magnificent!" He exclaimed happily. "Ha ha! Never have I had such a lovely and entertaining invitation sent to me!" Taking hold of the paper he began to quickly write his reply.

"It has been too long since we've spoken my dear dragon and too much tragedy has happened in the world! No doubt you are stretched tighter than a drum with all that has happened!" He muttered fretfully to himself. "But never fear!" Xavener exclaimed. "I will help you to feel as right as rain again!" He promised with a laugh.

* * *

 _The former city of Dorakaa_

"He is moving quickly." One of the dragons observed as the paper floated to the ground.

"I expected no less of him." Alsharak stated primly. "Send our reply immediately, we do not wish to keep him waiting."

"Do you think the lesser races will be pleased to know we are attending?" Another asked. "They can be fickle, especially with their short life spans. It will have been many generations since we walked among them, there could be distrust."

"Prometheus, from all accounts, has been providing a very good example for us." Alsharak replied. "I do not think we need worry. And if they do distrust us, what matter is that? They need us far more than we need them. Thus has it always been." He said with a self-satisfied tone.

* * *

 _House of the Lord Mayor_

 _The Free City of Greyhawk_

Nerof Gasgal pondered the letter that had just finished speaking of its own accord before him. His delicate fingers stroked his sharp chin in careful thought as he weighed the ramifications and implications of its contents. The former Oligarch of the city and master thief had not risen to his position by being incautious and the city would not have flourished over the last 30 years if his mind had been less keen. He knew of the Dragon Emperor and his little coup of course, the news had set the entire continent on its ear, and his part in the recent Demon War had only cemented the dragon as a powerful player in the realm of kings and rulers. Thankfully Greyhawk had been overlooked in favor of more obvious and easier targets; this city had always attracted the most powerful mercenaries of all types from across the continent, from the greatest of warriors and paladins to the most cunning of archmages and thieves. Assassins who had slain kings walked the streets alongside clerics powerful enough to grant miracles of all kinds through the benevolence of their gods, and that was only scratching the surface. Artifacts of incredible power switched hands constantly in the various marketplaces if one knew where to find them and the Circle of Eight, some of the most powerful wizards and warriors in known history, living legends who had spells and weapons named in their honor, stayed here on a fairly regular basis, though these days they were seen less and less. This city was a hub for those who held great power of all types and the demons had done well to leave them alone.

Now, however, now the various kingdoms were in turmoil with the exception of a few of them. Small though they were, the city had immense mineral and monetary wealth thanks to the mountain range nearby and their presence as a powerful trading city thanks to the massive Nyr Dyv lake and the River Selintan that flowed alongside them from the Nyr Dyv to the Sea of Gearnat. While the city was still doing well enough the various trade routes between the kingdoms had become rather disorganized due to the attacks though Ahlissa's traders were still going strong. Perhaps the Dragon Emperor had plans to address that…?

Tapping the feathered edge of his quill against his lips, the Lord Mayor finally placed the sharp edge of it against the paper and began to write.

* * *

 _The Lord Mayor's residence_

 _City of Mowbrenn, Nyrond_

"I trust you've had sufficient time to consider our offer my Lord?" The Terminator asked smoothly as he sat before the Lord Mayor of Mowbrenn in his office, his legs crossed with his arms resting languidly against the armrests of the plush chair.

The Lord Mayor glanced up in slight frustration at the air of smugness and superiority the person before him seemed to emit wherever he went. The Emperor's representative had been meeting with him and his advisers for over a week since their arrival. While the city had been holding together well enough under his leadership since the fall of the King and the remaining government, the cracks were beginning to show. While the farmland nearby which provided the city with all of its foodstuffs had not been damaged by the invading demonic hordes the swarms of refugees that had come clamoring at his gate in recent months had begun to strain the farms to the limit of their production. Additionally, every free space in the city was being taken by them and there were not enough jobs to go around, even ones as menial as sweeping the streets or carting away garbage. Small tent communities had begun to spring up around the city and the road which led to it, with the poor begging constantly to any who attempted to make their way into the city, not to mention the fact that food rationing was going to become a very real possibility soon. While there had been no incidents of violence yet, the man knew it was only a matter of time until someone's patience broke and blood covered the cobblestones. That could very well be the spark that would ignite a conflagration which could potentially consume the city. Unless something was done soon to alleviate the crisis, Mowbrenn would collapse under its own weight.

The fact that the Emperor's envoy was very well aware of this and was using it to his advantage only annoyed him further.

Oh the man had not been rude about it. In fact he had been the soul of discretion and charm, hinting at the various problems he had observed while on his journey there and commiserating with him on the people's plight as well applauding his own efforts to keep order. And yet, he could see the cold, calculating mind behind those sharp blue eyes, always reminding him that the envoy held the easiest and most convenient solution to his problems like a shiny apple in an outstretched hand. Whether the inside was poisoned or not he could only guess as Mowbrenn would need to give up being a city under Nyrond's banner and become a vassal city of Utopia, with all the laws, taxes, regulations, and shakeups that would go with it. It was, of course, not a simple matter of pride, though that did factor into his decision. After all, the city had been part of the kingdom's history for centuries and was proud of it. Their traditions and connection to the Crown as one of the major farming industries for the entire region made such a transition difficult. Not to mention the fact that no one knew how the Emperor would govern the city once it was his. They had heard stories of the wealth and generosity of the Emperor of course, after all, merchants traded between Utopia, Nyrond, and Ahlissa quite regularly and Nyrond was, or at least had been, allies with the new government after Ivid's fall. But the Lord Mayor himself had never been one for rumor and hearsay. History had shown him that regardless of whether one conquers by the sword or by honeyed word, one always ensured the loyalty of the newly conquered land by putting in charge those who were loyal to the conquerer, not the incumbent, regardless of how well they had performed in the past. Not that he was looking out for his own interests primarily but he did fear that a significant change in leadership could create more problems for the city and the people than they were willing to tolerate.

All of these thoughts had flowed through his head as he and his advisers had studied the Treaty of Suzerainty presented by the envoy after his arrival. The lengthy document had outlined in specific terms what the so called Suzerain, in this case the Emperor of Utopia, had done for Nyrond and its people as well as their former King; chief among them was the destruction of Overking Ivid, the Lich Iuz, and their army of undead as well as stopping the demonic invasion several years later before their people had become enslaved to either the Overking or the Demons along with the rest of Oerth. It then went on to state that the vassal should obey the stipulations presented in the treaty for the benefits that they received in the past. The treaty then stipulated the terms themselves, mainly that while the city and its environs would be allowed limited self-rule all the laws of Utopia that did not have equivalents in the city's current book of laws would be instituted immediately and that all taxations would be sent to Utopia with a portion remaining for the city's coffers. The Emperor would rule the city as he did any other city in his realm and would have full authority to exercise his will as he saw fit. All of this was to last for twenty years with the Treaty announced in the streets every two years to ensure the populace did not forget to whom their allegiance lay. At the end of the twenty years a popular vote would be taken by all the citizens to determine whether to become a permanent member of the Imperium or return to self-rule, assuming that Nyrond's government had not been reinstated within that time, in which case self-rule would be replaced with swearing fealty to the reinstated government.

Additionally, in order to confirm the binding connection between Utopia and Mowbrenn, the gods themselves would bear witness to the event and consecrate it. How the Emperor planned to accomplish this he was not sure but it was a minor concern to him at the moment. His advisers and himself had taken the time to read through the document in its entirety and while they were not exactly pleased with its overbearing tone they could hardly deny its contents nor did they find any serious concerns regarding what was expected of the city and its people. It was, in fact, surprisingly generous considering the Emperor metaphorically held all the cards yet it still rankled their sensibilities and stung their pride.

Sighing quietly the Lord Mayor focused his full attention on the envoy seated before him. "How many other cities have capitulated to these treaties?" He asked. "I seriously doubt you came only to us with these terms."

"You would be correct." The Terminator replied. "All of the major cities of the former kingdom of Nyrond have had visits from those like myself bearing the same treaty. As far as I am aware at this point in time, half have signed the treaty as presented while a few others are negotiating minor points. Thus far, none have refused." The machine said with a cool smile.

The Lord Mayor's blood ran cold for a moment at this. _He is annexing us all, taking bits and pieces of us while we struggle...Will there even be a Nyrond when all this is done? Will it even be possible for the Monarchy to return if there is no place left for them to rule from?_

Seemingly reading his mind the Terminator's smiled widened slightly. "Surely you did not think that we would only be assisting your city and ignoring all the others? All of Nyrond and its people deserve the opportunities we offer. And from what I understand, your country's efforts to locate another member of the royal line have met with failure, even after months of searching."

More facts he could hardly deny. _Damn the man, he didn't need to be so cheerful about it!_

Frowning in frustration before schooling his features, he spoke. "You swear that we will be allowed to govern ourselves?" He asked quietly.

"So long as you govern in accordance with the principles the Emperor has laid down in the treaty and conduct yourselves as citizens of the Imperium we see no need to make sweeping changes." The Terminator replied easily. "Have no fear my Lord, your reputation as a fair and positive influence on the city speaks well of you. You and those around you have ruled well and so you shall be rewarded by being allowed to keep your positions. So long as you govern as you have been doing thus far you need fear nothing from this...acquisition. To return to my original question, have you had sufficient time to consider our offer?"

"We have." The man replied heavily, glancing back at the document one more time as if fearing that a new rule would suddenly pop into place without him knowing it.

"And your decision?" The envoy asked politely, his tone still insufferably smug.

The Lord Mayor gazed at the line where his signature would go. As much as he disliked the idea of breaking away from his kingdom, the simple fact was that the kingdom as he knew it no longer existed.

One does what one must when their back is to the wall and in the end they both knew it.

Dipping his pen into the ink well next to him the man signed his name on the parchment.

* * *

 _The ruins of Axeport_

 _North of Admunfort Island, the Shield Lands_

Prometheus stood amidst the ruins of the ancient fortress, glancing about at the broken stone walls and stairwells. To the south stood the large island city of Admunfort surrounded by the massive Nyr Dyv. Centuries past, the fortress of Axeport had stood as the primary defense for Admunfort, the island connected by a massive bridge which allowed for trade and foot traffic with Axeport being the choke point as all were required to pass through the citadel's multiple large portcullises in order to reach the bridge. Within the last hundred years the citizens of Admunfort had become more and more isolationist, eventually deciding to destroy the bridge and only allow boat traffic onto the island for trading purposes. Shortly thereafter Axeport had been abandoned and eventually fell into ruin as there was no longer any purpose for it and no reason for its upkeep. In the intervening years none thought to make use of the pile of rubble as it was still technically property of the island city and few had any incentive to make use of it.

Prometheus had determined to change that.

Taking a Terminator with him on the journey he had ordered the machine to cross the Nyr Dyv and speak with the city's ruling council regarding the acquisition of the property. Watching through the machine's optical sensors and listening via its acoustic receivers he observed the discourse silently. While he could have easily gone himself he felt that the council would be more receptive to a human-looking envoy rather than having a dragon god appear in their midst with a voice like thunder. After all, he had no desire to simply cow them into submission.

The council members sat in a large round room, seemingly near the top of one of the towers in the central part of the city. The circular wall behind them was filled with a series of tall, paned windows allowing in ample morning light interspersed with expensive tapestries with the council members seated behind a long semi-circled dark wood desk that filled a large part of the room, the envoy standing on a circular green rug in the center of the room.

"We see no reason to deny the Emperor's request in this matter." The spokesperson for the council said, seated in the center of the semicircle in front of the Terminator. "We have no use for the ruins so he may do with it as he sees fit. We will prepare the documents of transfer of ownership and file it in the city's records within a few days. Copies will of course be sent to Utopia as well."

"My Lord thanks you for your prompt consideration in this matter good sirs." The android replied respectfully. "I trust there is no issue with him beginning reconstruction of the area immediately?"

The ministers looked at each other before the spokesperson nodded. "We have no issue with that request. Now, is there anything further?"

"Ask them about the letter." Prometheus stated quietly, the machine immediately hearing his voice.

"My Lord has not yet received a reply to the letter he sent to you regarding the meeting of various leaders that will take place soon. He realizes that with the fall of Critwall the Shield Lands have been without a governing body but He had hoped that Admunfort would take up such responsibilities, or did He err in His judgement?"

The various council members appeared to be slightly ruffled at the machine's suggestion as the spokesperson considered his reply.

"Admunfort has largely distanced itself from the Shield Land's affairs over the last fifty years." The man said with a hint of arrogance. "We consider ourselves to be our own independent city state, though others may not recognize that fact."

"All the more reason to attend this meeting." The Terminator suggested. "Especially considering it will be on your back doorstep."

The councillors muttered in surprise at this.

"Are you implying that this meeting is going to be held in the ruins of Axeport?" The man asked in surprise.

"By the time the meeting convenes the ruins will be something far more grand." The envoy replied with a confident smile.

"I fail to see how such reconstruction could be done so quickly." The man retorted in disbelief. "Unless you plan to have it a few years from now!"

"Great is the power of the God-Emperor." The envoy intoned. "His methods of edifying the structure need not concern you. To return to the question, will you be attending?"

The spokesman frowned in consideration before nodding. "I suppose I must given the location and the fact that we are independent. Will Greyhawk be attending as well."

"The Lord Mayor will be attending." Prometheus replied to the machine.

"My Lord has informed me that the Lord Mayor of Greyhawk has graciously agreed to attend." The machine informed them. "We expect it to be quite the gathering."

"That remains to be seen." The man said with a vague sniff. "Still, you have your answer. Was there anything else."

"No." Prometheus rumbled.

"Not at this time, good sirs." The envoy replied. "I thank you greatly for your time today." He said, bowing to them before exiting the room.

Withdrawing his mind from the machine's Prometheus glanced about once more at the wreckage around him. "From the ashes of this ruin shall rise a new citadel of cooperation and enlightenment." He mused.

Summoning forth power the ground before him shook before a large 10 foot cube of stone erupted from the ground, the hole filled in by the surrounding earth seconds later. Infusing the cube with divine energies Prometheus began to shape and carve the stone by thought alone, the massive block bending to his imagination. Chunks broke free before planting themselves on top of the block and fusing together to make the cube into a taller rectangle before the faces of it became circular and etched with designs. A pair of arched double doors appeared at the bottom of one of the faces while others contained several levels of windows on all sides, the rectangle slowly shaping itself into a tall circular tower. At the very top of the tower a large circle was carved into the roof before the solid interior of the block began to shift and flow under his direction, creating large open spaces within as the now liquid rock flowed from the hole into his waiting palm. Focusing his vision so that he could see within the block, more designs came into being as various floors within the tower were created along with stairways to each floor. At the top room of the tower, the roof still absent except for the edges, he created a series of triangular windows around the top edge of the walls with square columns on either side of them. In the center of the room arose a massive hollow circle of stone with a flat surface to act as a table, around the outside edge of which were placed numerous stone chairs. Underneath the windows, along the bare walls behind each chair, he created small paintings of the various heraldries of the kingdoms, leaving a few blank. Finally, he created a thin film of glass over the large circle he had created in the roof. Blowing the dust away that had accumulated as he worked, a 10 foot tower of exquisite detail sat before him, perfect in its interior and exterior design.

 _A perfect sculpture model._ He thought to himself. _The Terminators will easily be able to create the actual structure down to the last detail based on this and just in time to hold the first meeting of the Council of Kingdoms._

* * *

 _The Grand Hall, palace of Utopia_

 _Three weeks later..._

The Grand Hall of the Palace was, like the rest of the structure, a truly magnificent sight. The room itself was large enough that several dragons could fit comfortably inside it even sitting up. The long rectangular room was capped with an arched ceiling that added several more feet to its height and was covered with frescos of all kinds, depicting valiant knights of Heironeous engaging in glorious battle to Paladins of Pelor braving the horrors of the Abyss, interspersed with the countenances of several gods looking down from above. The walls were white stone mixed with gold and silver and the supporting columns that ran down both sides of the room at even spaces were neo-classical in nature, white stone capped with gold flourishes. The floor was laid out in a grid-like pattern with alternating dark brown and dark gold colors and polished to a perfect shine. Within this massive room stood a company of humanoid metallic dragons in polished armor mixed with Terminators that were utterly loyal to Prometheus, each dressed in metallic plate armor of various colors that coincided with the colors of the dragons' scales. At the head of the room stood Prometheus in his dragon form, Davis and Beowulf on either side. On the outer edges of the room the various ministers and court officials stood in orderly rows and columns as well as nobles from many of the powerful families throughout the empire who made their homes in Utopia.

Standing at parade rest in front of the column of warriors before Prometheus, in his own bronze armor, was Elidar.

"My friends!" Prometheus called out. "Today is a day for celebration! Our city is prosperous once more and our homes are stronger than ever! The great evils have been broken and peace reigns!"

The audience clapped in approval before he continued.

"However, we must not let down our guard!" Prometheus cautioned. "We must not allow this peace we have made give way to complacency! Not many miles to the west our neighbors fear for their livelihoods and their futures! We have dispatched men to aid them as best we can but there are other dangers in this world we must look to as well! This world still holds many deep and dark secrets! This world still shelters many dangers! This world still bears the stench of corruption and injustice and I would see it cleansed!" He shouted.

The crowd roared with approval at this.

"It is to that end that you stand here today!" Prometheus said. "It is to that end that you see these proud Knights standing before you in their finest! And it is to that end that I shall send them out to ferret out and uproot the evils of this world and expose them to the Light!"

Prometheus paused to look at Elidar. "Elidar Sendor. Since I first woke you from your slumber you have served me well and served me faithfully. Every command I have given you, you have followed to the best of your ability and you have proven beyond a doubt that you are worthy of accolade! In the Dragon Wars of ancient times you served as the leader for groups of dragons that would sally forth and engaged against Tiamet's hateful brood. Tiamet's power has been broken and her children cowed, but they still have the power to cause chaos and dissent wherever they go! Therefore, I give you a new command and a new commission!"

"By my power as God-Emperor of Utopia I confer upon you the title of Grandmaster of the Knightly Order of the Radiant Dragon!"

The crowed cheered loudly at this as Elidar knelt before Prometheus with his head bowed. As the cheers died down he spoke in a strident voice.

"My Lord, I am humbled and honored that you would choose me for such a noble position. I accept your commission with all the humility and grace I possess. Here and now I swear an oath before Your Holiness and all gathered here that I will do my utmost to seek out the enemies of our people and of all those who follow in the Light!"

"Let it be known that my blade and my shield will be the vanguard by which the darkness shall fall and the innocent be protected!" He announced. "I was once the Sacred Warder of Bahamut, Lord of all good Dragons! I defended the innocent from harm and destroyed evil with all the powers and skills at my disposal! Now I shall do so again under your banner! I shall lead these Knights and all those who would join this Order with dignity and with humility, but also with steadfastness and unwavering courage! We shall ensure the children of Tiamet can never again rise up to threaten what is ours! We shall be the rock upon which the oceans of evil break! We shall be the shield that guards the pure! We shall be the sword of justice wherever we go, and we shall never rest until our duty is done! Will you accept my oath, my Lord?!" He cried out

"I do so accept it!" Prometheus boomed and the crowd cheered wildly as Elidar shot to his feet, raising his sword high.

Turning to the Knights as the crowd cheered he called out over their voices in a thunderous voice. "KNIGHTS OF THE ORDER! YOU HAVE YOUR COMMISSION! DEDICATE YOURSELVES TO THIS CAUSE AND KNEEL!"

The floor shook with a thud as over fifty fully armored knights fell to one knee with perfect timing, their fists clanging against their breastplates.

"WE ACCEPT THE COMMISSION FROM OUR LORD!" They shouted in one voice. "BY THE GRACE OF THE GODS LET OUR HANDS NEVER FALTER AND OUR FAITH NEVER FADE!"

"Arise!" Prometheus called out and the knights rose to their feet as the nobles clapped and cheered.

"I have heard your dedications and found them worthy!" Prometheus called out. "As of this moment your lives are dedicated to this task! Go now and prepare yourselves, for your duty shall take you far from this place and into the darkest corners of the world! Steel your hearts and minds for what lay ahead but know that I shall always be with you!"

"Grandmaster!" Prometheus called to Elidar. "Take charge of your men! Dismissed!"

The entire company saluted Prometheus once more before turning sharply about and marching from the room in perfect formation. After several minutes of cheers and clapping Prometheus raised his hands for silence.

"We have taken the first step to ensure the safety and security of our people and the people of this world." He told them. "But there is much still to do. Remember, all of you, that no matter what your service, no matter what your trade, you do your work in service to me and to the glory of our empire for it could not function without each and every one of you! No man is greater than another in importance but no man is lesser than another in truth! The hand is as important as the eye or the arm but one is not greater than another, for to lose an eye or to lose a hand is equally grievous and the body as a whole is lessened! Therefore do your work well and dedicate it to your Lord that all might prosper and find blessing because of what you do! Go now, my friends, and serve the cause well!"

With another round of clapping the groups began to disperse. Prometheus and the others remained behind as a few of the crowd came to him with various questions or concerns before they finally retired to Prometheus's office.

"I must say it was a very nice ceremony." Davis remarked. "Elidar should be up to the task, given his credentials. How big do you think this Order of yours will grow to be?"

"Only time will tell." Prometheus replied with a shrug, having switched to his human form as he sat down. "I believe more of Bahamut's children will join in the days to come and I will add more Terminators as needed."

"What about regular humans?" Davis asked. "I couldn't help but notice a distinct lack of them under those suits of armor."

"Humans do not normally have the stamina or strength to deal with a dragon." Prometheus said with a shake of his head. "Oh, there are a few dragonslayers in the wide world but they are few and far between. Even a group of them would have difficulty taking one down without powerful spells and specialized equipment. A Terminator's strength, speed, and hardiness are greater than a normal man's by a significant margin even with nanomachines running through their bodies. If normal men and women wish to be a part of the Order it shall be on a case by case basis and they shall be put through a strenuous series of trials to prove themselves."

"I sense there is more to it than that." Beowulf remarked quietly, giving Prometheus a cunning look, his golden eyes glinting in the light.

"You are correct, of course, my friend." Prometheus said with a nod. "There is another reason I wish to cultivate an Order of Dragons and machines. Men and women, in fact all mortals, have a price. Give them enough gold, offer them something they cannot refuse, or put pressure on things that are important to them, and all but the most stout will cave, will desert, will betray. My army is strong and they are professionals, but they are still human. For times when things become most desperate, most harrowing, when all hope seems lost and all desert us, it is in that time that I will need warriors that are more than human, more than mortal. In that moment they will be the ones who will stand against the onslaught without a second thought, who will not bow or flee no matter the pressure or the odds."

"My Terminators can already do that." Davis suggested.

Prometheus shook his head. "They may be a wall against the tide or fight to the death but they cannot inspire men whose morale is broken or whose courage has fled. They cannot shine like a beacon in the darkness when all hope is lost and rally men to fight on. For that I need those who are incorruptible, immutable, and unwavering in their duty. The metallic dragons are the embodiment of all those qualities and more."

Davis smiled at this. "I think we've found the stock for any future space marine program we might create. The Emperor's kin, bound in service to Him, greater than any mortal man and having the strength of the gods to wield His mighty justice. Super-soldiers of the highest order, they are steel and they are doom."

Prometheus chuckled quietly at this. "Perhaps one day we shall consider that. But for the moment I am content with what they are; a Knightly Order to stand against the dark dragons that remain in this world and a force to hold back the darkness when all others would fall. Now then, was there anything else of importance that needs to be discussed?"

"I take it the meeting you have planned is still going ahead?" Davis asked.

Prometheus nodded. "I have received responses from the last of the major kingdoms and the tower is all but complete. For this first meeting they shall be bringing small companies of soldiers as honor guards and I shall be helping to ensure security of course."

"That's going to be a lot of royalty in one place," Davis remarked, "and since I haven't been working my fingers to the metal on the security arrangements I would assume you have something in mind."

"The other rulers would be affronted if I did not allow them to make their own preparations." Prometheus remarked. "This is not the United Nations where the host country must provide security to all its foreign dignitaries and heads of state, though it is my intention that one day it will become something like it. No, there will be several small armies marching to one place and by the end it will be the most heavily guarded tower on the continent. Between the thousands of soldiers that will be there and my own divine protections they will be safe enough."

Davis nodded. "Very well. I'll keep the Terminators we have in their service close to them as long as they are outside the bounds of their own territories. That should at least keep them safe from any surprise attacks."

Prometheus nodded. "Agreed. Moving on to other matters how is Kyprioth's training as one of your agents going?"

"It's going rather well." Davis replied. "He has all of the fundamentals down so I anticipate sending him on his first real mission soon. Nothing too dangerous or taxing but something that will prove he's taken his lessons to heart and can apply them properly."

Prometheus nodded. "And his mission?"

Davis smirked. "Don't worry, I've already cleared it with Beowulf. Let's just say it'll be a nice surprise for the Canon of Veluna."

Prometheus raised an eyebrow at this. "If Kyprioth is caught the Canon will probably press him into community service for the deed."

"Which in itself would be a valuable lesson about not getting caught." Davis replied easily. "At least we can trust the Canon to be merciful instead of having him thrown in jail or executed as some others might try to do."

Prometheus nodded. "Very true. Go ahead with your plan then, do let me know if anything else comes up."

Davis nodded before standing and departing.

Prometheus then turned to Beowulf. "And what of yourself my friend?"

"Aurelius has been spending more time with me lately." Beowulf replied in his raspy voice. "He came to me one day and very politely requested that I teach him what I knew about swordsmanship from my studies with Darlana. To say that I was surprised was an understatement." He admitted.

"I believe he wishes to redeem himself in your eyes for his past behavior." Prometheus said. "Most likely this is his way of trying to make friends."

"So I supposed, given the fact that he has avoided me until now." Beowulf agreed. "I was a bit cautious at first but he seems to be enjoying my company and my lessons so far."

Prometheus nodded. "Good. Do try and cultivate a friendship with him if you can. I believe it would be good for both of you."

Beowulf nodded. "Also, I must say I am having a hard time coming up with tenets for the faithful." He admitted ruefully. "I am not used to being a High Priest and I do not want to disappoint you, Alpha."

Prometheus smiled gently. "Just as I am still not used to being a god, my friend. We shall both be learning a great deal in the weeks and months to come. Look over the tenets of the other gods for context, examine my aims, and my sphere of influence in light of them. Perhaps that will help you. No religion is conceived of fully in a day, my friend, it will come to fruition in time."

Beowulf nodded. "As you say, Alpha. We should be hearing back from the last of the ambassadorial teams soon regarding their progress. I will let you know as soon as they report in but as of right now, most of Nyrond is under our control as vassals."

Prometheus nodded. "Good. The sooner we can begin to help the people of Nyrond, the better. For those that have signed the treaty, begin transferring whatever each city needs, be it men, supplies, food, anything. If it is something unusual, come and speak with me."

Beowulf nodded as the door to his office opened and Arianasa walked in, the pale fey woman dressed in a long silver gown with her platinum hair done up in a stylish bun.

"Ah, my dear." Prometheus smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"I have not seen much of you lately and wished to visit." She said.

The god smiled. "Of course. Was there anything else Beowulf?"

The Gnoll shook his head. "No. I shall take my leave." He said as he stood and bowed low to Prometheus before departing, leaving the silver dragon and the draconic god alone.

"My apologies for being so preoccupied recently but I have had much to do." He admitted.

"You always have much to do and I'm sure it will only get worse as times goes on." She remarked idly. "After all, a god must worry about so many things." She said as she came around behind him and rested her slim fingers on his shoulders. "Allow me to push those worries aside for a little while." She murmured in his ear.

"And what did you have in mind my dear?" He asked with a smile.

"I learned many arts over the centuries before being put to sleep." She suggested softly. "Stimulating the muscles to improve their elasticity is one of them."

"A dragoness who is a masseuse. How lovely." He smiled. "Your room or mine?"

"Mine." She insisted with a gleam in her brilliant blue eyes. "And, perhaps, when I have taught you all that I know you might return the favor…"

Prometheus smiled enticingly at this. "I am a very fast learner my dear." He murmured in her ear as the two departed for her room.


	5. The Council of Kingdoms

**Chapter 4: The Council of Kingdoms**

 _Former Axeport ruins_

 _The Shield Lands..._

The stamping of uncountable shod feet marching in formation hung in the air like a constant rumble of thunder over the land amidst the distant shouts of men and the baying of animals. Were one able to use a spell of flight or levitation to gain a wider view of the land from high above they would be able to see large contingents of men in armor marching towards the same point, each group staying far enough away from the other to avoid any mistakes or miscommunications. While most of the varied forces were not officially at war with each other or even hostile for the most part, none wanted tempers to flare unnecessarily over misunderstandings.

Thus each kept a wide berth.

As the tall tower slowly came into view, sitting near the water's edge of the Nyr Dyv across from Admunfort Island, clarion trumpets rang out while bannermen in colored livery proudly announced the arrival of their lord. The squads of several hundred soldiers slowly converged on the large edifice until they stood like spokes in a massive wheel with the tower at the center. As the men gave way before their sovereign's honor guards the various groups approached the tower, looking about at the solid tan stone walls upon which hung the banners of the various nations, each one noting in vague approval that their kingdom was represented.

King Dain of the Dwarves stepped forward to admire the stonework, running his fingers along the seams of the rock.

"Excellent workmanship." He mused quietly. "The stone blocks are carved in such a way that they naturally lock together without the need for a sealing substance like mortar."

As the groups made their way to the main entrance they found Elidar in his full bronze plate mail as well as Aurelius in his chrome-colored plate standing on guard at either side of the double doors.

"Welcome my Lords!" Aurelius called out to them loudly over the din of clanking metal. "We are grateful that could come on such short notice to this most auspicious occasion! You do us and our Lord much honor and respect by taking time away from your kingdoms! Before we enter the tower I ask that you spare us a few moments that we might enlighten you as to the security we have put in place for your protection!"

The various monarchs and nobles nodded thoughtfully at this. "Do you truly believe us to be in danger while we are here?" One of them asked.

"We do not know of any threats against yourselves my Lords but we do present an enticing target so we have taken every precaution we may." Elidar replied. "My Master's own guards will be stationed throughout the tower as well as around it and we have men on the roof constantly scanning for any signs of an approaching army or the use of magic. We have also placed as many anti-scrying measures within the tower as possible to keep our conversations here secret from others as well as protection against other forms of magic. Rest assured, no mad wizard will be suddenly teleporting into the room and surprising us." He said with a sardonic smile making the others chuckle.

"Another example are these markings upon the stones." He said, pointing out a small circle of cryptic writing carved into each stone. "They are divine sigils infused with my Master's power. They ensure that the stone itself is far sturdier than any normal rock and that no dark power may gain access to the inside!"

"On another matter," Aurelius said, "due to the amount of living quarters in the tower you may only bring a maximum of six guards! The others must remain outside! For the men you choose to bring with you they must be issued one of these!" He said, holding up a golden coin that glowed faintly.

"These tokens will allow your men access to the tower! However, in order to ensure your protection they must allow for a drop of their blood to be placed upon the talisman! This will magically bind the talismen to them and them alone in order to prevent someone else from using it, such as a shapeshifter or a wizard with evil designs upon this meeting! Should they leave the talisman behind in their quarters and then exit the tower they will not be able to re-enter unless one of us permits it by testing their blood against the blood bound to the coin! Again, my Lords, these precautions are for your protection!"

"Now my Lords, if you would be so kind as to select the men that will accompany you and then present the paper that my Lord provided to you, you will be permitted access to the tower!" Elidar said.

After taking several minutes to select specific guards and servants from among their own group each ruler came forward with six of their men.

Handing the paper to Aurelius or Elidar they confirmed the authenticity of the paper before having each of the servants bleed on the coins using a pin and a piece of cloth. After the first group entered through the wide doors the process was repeated with the other nobles until the crowd was finally inside of the main foyer. The wide circular room was composed of white plastered walls with the banners of the various nations placed equidistant around the room. Twin pairs of sweeping ornate staircases on either side of the room led to pairs of large double doors covered in bronze.

"These doors lead to the main staircases that allow access to the other floors of the tower." Aurelius said. "The first few levels are the guards' barracks, staff living quarters and the kitchens. The next levels up are the various floors where you and your men are quartered. The very top floor contains the meeting room where the discussions shall be held. Please follow either myself or Elidar." He prompted before the two dragons moved to either of the doors.

The large groups split roughly in half as they made their way up several flights of stairs. Stopping at the upper levels for several minutes so that each group could pick out rooms for themselves and their men, a servant and a guard followed each of the monarchs up to the top of the tower. At the top of the staircases stood an imposing pair of doors done in gold and silver with sacred runic blessings of Rao the god of Reason and Peace etched into the edges in flowing elegant script. The two dragons opened the large doors with a flourish allowing each of them to enter.

Around the circular room at the top edge of the walls were a series of triangular windows with square columns on either side of them. In the center of the room sat a massive hollow circle of white stone and rich wood forming a round table. Upon the table sat pitchers of clear water and glass cups along with small plates of fruit. Rich and heavy wooden padded chairs surrounded the table and behind each of them, attached to the wall, sat ornate shields displaying the various heraldries of the kingdoms with simpler chairs against the wall for the various guards and retainers. The ceiling itself, with the exception of its edges, was composed of a massive circle of enchanted glass with various runes engraved into it, all of them glowing faintly with blue or golden light. Seated in the chair opposite the doors was Prometheus in his human form, dressed in a tunic of gold weave. Chains of silver and gems encircled his neck and his rich over-robe was done in ermine and silver. Encircling his brow and trimmed white hair was a crown of mithril with a single large diamond in the center. In sharp contrast Davis stood behind him and to his left with silent solemnity, dressed in dark finery. Standing with a smile gracing his beaded face, he greeted them all warmly.

"I welcome the Lords of the Realm to the Tower of Enlightened Discourse! Thank you all for coming on such short notice. It is my fervent hope that what will be discussed here over these next few days will benefit all of us and by extension the people over which we rule! Please, be seated and enjoy the small repast that has been prepared for you!"

As the various leaders began to take their seats Davis examined them closely, memorizing their faces and connecting them to the various kingdoms Prometheus had sent missives to.

The first to sit was the corpulent figure of His Noble Brilliancy, King Belis Gellor of Urnst, Nyrond's western neighbor. The man's full grey beard hung beneath his round face, his brown eyes half-lidded and wearily glancing about under his thick grey eyebrows. A green and white-striped under-robe covered him from his neck to his feet and around his belly was a wide, patterned sash made of golden thread. An over-robe of crimson and emerald felt was draped over his shoulders and sleeves and over that hung a cape of royal purple trimmed in gold, held together by a thick golden chain about his neck. Gemmed rings glittered on the man's fingers and his crown was an ostentatious display of a large disc inset with circles of rare black and white diamonds.

Next to sit was His Steadfastness, Marius Lindon the Freeholder, Spokesman for the democratic Yeomanry League in the far southwest. The man was slim with a wary Italian face and short black hair, a dark gold and forest green over-cloak covering the white flowing sleeves of his tunic and dark pants.

To his left sat the Governor of Admunfort. Davis could not help but notice that the balding and bureaucratic little man's pudgy face was sweating at being in such an august company. He also apparently felt rather underdressed as he wore about him simple robes of grey and silver embossed with the city's heraldry as he nervously adjusted his thin glasses.

To the right of Marius sat his neighbor, His Peerless Majesty, the King of Keoland, Kimbertos Skotti. The bald man had the face and build of a circus strong man with a curling black mustache and dark untrusting eyes. The broad man was wearing an overstuffed doublet of crimson and black with golden striping. Across his shoulders hung a cape of blue velvet while his legs were clad in tight white hose.

Opposite him on the other side of the table closer to Prometheus sat Durak Dain, son of Dur'gazul, King of all Dwur. The short and stout Dwarf's dark grey straight hair and long beard settled around his shoulders and down his chest nearly to his stomach. His eyes were piercing but friendly and on his head sat a crown of iron and jewels, his chest and legs covered in strong plate mail, the rest of him in earthy colors.

Next to the Dwarf sat his neighbor to the west, His High Radiance, Owen the First, Grand Duke of Geoff. The older man's dark eyes and pale face were pinched and sharp, accentuated by his short pointed white beard and tufts of white hair that stuck out from under his round cap of royal crimson with gold flourishes. He was similarly dressed in a rich velvety crimson over robe under which shone a shirt studded with gems amidst fanciful designs on a blood red background, a plain blackwood staff resting against the back of his chair.

Next to the old wizard sat His Most Resolute Magnitude, Magnus Vrianian, Commandant of Gran March, also a neighbor to Geoff. The dark skinned and bald man, both a wizard and a cleric of Heironeous the god of Chivalry and Valor, wore a cossack of dark green with edgings of old silver over which was a high collared long segmented tunic of sky blue and clean silver. His shirt sleeves were white and at his waist sat a sword as well as an intricate wand of ebony and ivory whorls.

The next man to sit was His Lofty Grace, Larrangin, the Margrave of Bissel, Veluna's western neighbor. The man's face was rather dandyish with a black trim mustache and wind-swept black hair, his brown eyes shining with lazy amusement. His body was covered in ornate plate mail and across his shoulders flowed a long crimson cloak.

A familiar face chose to sit at Prometheus's right, His Venerable Reverence, Canon Harfell of Veluna. The man was still quite slim with balding hair and a scholar's roundish face with horn-rimmed glasses, dressed in the white and silver robes of Rao.

To Prometheus's vague surprise Her Fey Majesty, Queen Yolande, Perfect Flower of Celene, Lady Rhalta of All Elvenkind chose to sit at his left. The pale Elven Queen was dressed in finery of rose wine robes with delicate mithril and silver chains threaded through her silvery white hair, her cool silver eyes glacing at him in curiosity, her pale pink lips quirked in a slight smile.

Next to her sat His Solemn Authority, the Lord Mayor of Greyhawk, Nerof Gasgal. The middle-aged man's eyes were sharp and calculating, his raven hair falling about his shoulders in a curtain, the man himself dressed in black and gold tunic and pants that were loose enough to allow full freedom of movement without being baggy, with black leather gloves covering his hands.

Next to the shifty Lord Mayor sat Prometheus's friend and southern neighbor, His Transcendent Imperial Majesty, Overking Xavener I, Grand Prince of Kalstrand and Crowned Head of House Darmen. The man's slim face was still youthful and exuberant with bright eyes and a smile on his face, apparently excited at the entire affair. His slim body was dressed in emerald and gold and his brown hair covered his shoulders, while atop his head was a forest green cap.

Finally, taking his seat with a grumpy expression, was His Worshipful Mercy, Theocrat Theoman Baslett, Supreme Prelate of the Theocracy of the Pale, north of the Shield Lands. The intolerant and pudgy man's head was nearly bald with wisps of white hair around his crown, his face nearly bloodless and his eyes cold with disdain. He wore a white cassock with gold and silver trimmings and across his shoulders was a wide orphery of red velvet, the long center piece trailing down the front covered in designs of silver, gold, and rubies.

Seating himself last Prometheus spoke. "Before we begin discussions I would like to introduce another member of this meeting. One whom you will not be familiar with but one who will soon play a role in events on Oerth. I present to you Alsharak, Head of the Council of Wyrms."

Suddenly a shaft of light erupted from the floor in the center of the room before coalescing into the head of an ancient golden dragon, its reptilian eyes scanning all of them as it slowly spun.

"What manner of dark sorcery is this?" The Theocrat snarled in outrage.

"I am not actually here Theocrat." The image stated firmly with Alsharak's voice as the head spun to focus on him. "What you see is, if you like, an illusion, but one connected to my mind and voice that you might hear me and I might hear all of you."

"I don't care what you call it! This is outrageous!" Theoman cried. "You dare to have some foul beast take part in these meetings?!"

"I am no mere beast Theocrat as you well know!" The Dragon thundered, his face furious. "You dare much to slander an ancient Metallic Dragon, especially one such as myself!"

"If you will recall your history Theocrat," Prometheus interjected, "I have no doubt you will recall that dragons such as him were a powerful force for good in ancient times. That has not changed with the passage of time. Alsharak is here at my invitation and I have full confidence in him. Now, if we could proceed?" He asked with polite firmness.

Seeing the other members of the council glaring at him for his outburst the man slowly sat down, obstinately glaring back at each of them.

"Thank you." Prometheus said with a quiet sigh as Alsharak's head floated closer to the ceiling so that the various rulers could view each other more easily.

"As you all no doubt recall, I have asked you here that we might discuss the future of our various kingdoms and the overall realm." Prometheus said. "It is my hope that this place will allow us to not only resolve disputes without resorting to wars but to actually come together in cooperation with similar goals. It is my belief that all men, and women, wish to uplift themselves to reach the height of their potential, be they the common man or the highest king or queen." He said with a nod to Yolande. "If the king or queen is uplifted to their highest potential they have the ability to become a truly great monarch. If the common tradesman or peasant is uplifted they have the ability to produce or create far more than they would normally. Thus with more creativity and more production comes greater trade, greater profits, and thus the kingdom prospers. When many kingdoms trade equally without various restrictions then society as a whole flourishes and the rulers benefit all the more as they are beloved by the people and the people have no need for revolt or rebellion. Tell me this does not sound pleasing to the ears my lords." He suggested with an enticing smile, causing the others to look about at each other with considering expressions.

"Your proposal, while perhaps intriguing, has a flaw." Yolande said, her cool voice cutting through the silence like a saber. "You presume the Elves have any interest in human wares and goods. For time uncountable we have stood apart, completely self-sufficient from any outside influence, and thus we wish to remain. We have no interest in the paltry trinkets you might create and we have no desire that any other power should have influence over us, no matter how small."

"I agree!" The Theocrat stated grouchily. "The Theocracy has no interest in the cultures and affairs of others! We live to serve Pholtus and that is the beginning and end of our lives! None of you have anything that we could want for Pholtus provides all that we need!"

"Then, you have no interest in the affairs of the wider world?" Prometheus suggested to them. "I wonder then, how you had planned to survive against the demon's onslaught if we had failed? Do you think you could have held your own against the demonic hordes that destroyed entire kingdoms without tremendous effort?" He asked.

Yolande glazed at him unflinchingly. "I have no doubt that we would have fought and died to the last, that I and my entire realm would have been slaughtered by their strength."

"And that does not concern you?" Prometheus asked her bluntly with a look of mild disbelief.

Again the fey woman shrugged. "Who is to say that the world should not have ended a short time ago? Perhaps we were meant to have been destroyed to make way for some new creation. All things live and all things die. Even we Elves in time succumb to ennui or weariness and choose to end our existence rather than go on." She replied simply.

"If I may be so bold your Highness, such fatalism does not become you." Prometheus suggested with a slight frown.

The Queen gazed at Prometheus impassively. "It is not fatalism or nihilism as you believe but merely the accumulated experience of many long centuries. When you have seen the cycles of life and death repeated endlessly you tend to see such matters in a different light."

"You are not the only one here with such a perspective Lady Yolande." Alsharak remarked. "Thanks to our placement in the Sanctuary by our Lord Bahamut I and the clans under my care have lived for far longer than any Elf or Dragon before us and I tell you that the joys and wonderments of life are still fresh to us. Some of us have grown tired of such a long existence certainly but they are the exception rather than the rule."

Rather than be offended by her words Prometheus merely smiled quietly as the Queen appeared to shrug indifferently at Alsharak's remarks. "Perhaps, when a thousand years have passed, we may sit down and compare notes your Highness. I would hope, at the time, that I still feel the enthusiasm and freshness of youth and still hold on to that fire and idealism for life would be tragically dull without it."

The woman smiled in faint amusement and inclined her head. "I shall hold you to that, I think."

"In any case it was not you that spared the Pale from destruction!" The Theocrat stated loudly. "It was Pholtus Himself who intervened, ensuring that the demons focused their attention elsewhere! Do not take upon yourself the actions of the gods and think them your own achievements, for such conceited hubris leads to damnation and ruin!" The man stated pompously as if delivering a sermon.

"If it _was_ Pholtus who saved you then of course I would not claim His work was my own." Prometheus replied mildly, his gaze fixed on the portly man. "And yet, has Pholtus informed you of this? If your Lord's hand was at work then surely He would have made you aware of such, yes?"

The Theocrat snorted derisively. "He does not speak to us of all His doings for to do so would weary the ears of any mortal! It is because of our devotion and faith to Him that we were spared the wrath of the demons!"

"Perhaps," the High Priest continued, looking about at the others with patently false humility, "had you all accepted Him and His will for your lives before all this occurred, the incursion by those creatures would have been prevented entirely. Who is to say that this invasion was not done by His hand to show you the true path that all of you might come to Him in humility and ask for forgiveness for your heathen ways? I assure you, our Lord, while stern and unflinching, is a merciful god! Even now He is willing to accept all of you into His great plan!" The Theocrat declared with a cunning smile and open hands.

"Oh stop with the proselytising Theoman!" Marius stated tiredly with a glare. "You're not in church and we're not heathen primitives! You should have left the sermons at the door!"

The Theocrat bristled with indignation at this before Prometheus interrupted. "If you wish to interpret events in that way, it is of course your prerogative." The Dragon Emperor stated. "However, I have spoken with the gods directly on this matter and confirmed that the dark gods were in collusion together using the demons as their pawns. Should you choose to ask Pholtus I am sure He will be willing to confirm this." Prometheus suggested with a cool smile.

"I do not ask my god about matters of heresy!" Theoman stated with a glare. "Which is all I am hearing from your mouth!"

"Heretical or not I would return to my point and ask the rest of you your thoughts on my proposal." Prometheus said, looking at the others. "Does increased trade with other kingdoms and the uplifting of your people, and by extension your kingdoms, appear to be a prudent course of action?"

"And how, exactly, does one go about 'uplifting' their people?" Kimbertos asked in his vaguely Slavic accent, his curled mustache twitching. "The increased trade will almost certainly be a non-issue but this uplift you speak of sounds to be a great deal of work, not to mention cost a large amount of coin."

"When one wishes to make great profit one must be willing to invest in the venture." Xavener stated primly.

"Indeed." Durak stated gruffly. "You do not get great riches out of the earth without first digging the tunnels and paying your workers for their sweat."

"Every man has a standard of living." Prometheus explained. "A wage that they must earn in order to have the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, clothing, and so on. Either that or they must be able to create such things for themselves. Some men are content with simple lives and so they have little. Others have little because of poor circumstances or events beyond their control. And yet within them lies the potential for greatness, either in the arts, or tradecraft, or the creation of wealth, statecraft, or a multitude of other things. And yet, without being able to realize such potentials their innate talents are wasted and society overall is poorer for it, having lost an opportunity for such skill to flourish for the benefit of all."

"If they were meant to have been great the gods would have decreed it so and thus set them up in a lofty position to realize those gifts." Gellor stated dismissively in his guttural and thick voice as he smoked from a long thin blackwood pipe. "The fact that they were born low is proof of their worthlessness."

"And yet some of the greatest figures in our history have come from the meanest of circumstances." Prometheus replied. "Does that not disprove such notions?"

"They were helped due to the generosity of others." Skotti remarked tartly. "That does not mean they were worthy of it."

"And yet without that help they would have floundered in obscurity which brings me back to my point." Prometheus stated.

"Even if we agreed to such a thing we cannot give such funding to every citizen in our kingdoms." Gasgal said smoothly through his linked gloved fingers. "While your proposal is a lofty goal it is sadly unworkable; it would bankrupt our treasuries and the nobility would never willingly fund such a thing."

"You misunderstand." Prometheus suggested. "I am not suggesting that the nobility or yourselves personally sponsor every person in your lands. But I am certain that all of you have been highly educated at one point or another and all of you know the value of such training. While we all have various trade schools and universities in our kingdoms the young and less fortunate are without such training nor do they have access to it. What I am suggesting is funding to allow others to visit these schools for a day or two. Allow them to see what kinds of crafts they could do when they grow to maturity. You will find that the young are often passionate about various things and connecting them with their passions early allow them to create and be useful, or at least it raises the possibility of training new journeymen while still impressionable and energetic."

"Interesting, but I hardly think you would want children to run rampant in a glass-maker's workshop." Larrangin suggested mildly in amusement.

Prometheus kept from rolling his eyes at the man's absurd remark. "There would need to be safeguards of course. I am not suggesting letting children have their way when they visit. If they cannot control themselves that is one thing. But I suggest to all of you that an education or at least an introduction into the wider world and what it offers at a younger age is not something that should be discounted so lightly."

As the various monarchs looked about at each other Prometheus could see the doubt in their eyes. Things had worked well enough for them over the years and they were loathe to change how their societies worked even if it meant improving their kingdoms' futures.

"Regardless I shall be instituting such changes in Utopia fairly soon." Prometheus offered. "I fully expect it to be successful in some aspects at least. Think upon it my Lords as we move on to other matters."

 _Allowing them to see the results for themselves will do much more to encourage their participation than any speeches I could give._ He considered. _Once they are given proof of its success they will be much more agreeable._

"Of course before we can even begin to think about such things we must ensure that our provinces and lands are prospering." Prometheus said, his voice lowering in sadness. "Sadly we have lost a great deal due to the demons and rebuilding will take some time. Furyondy, of course, was the worst hit by the demons. The Shield Lands were equally decimated with Urnst and Nyrond not far behind. All of Furyondy's major cities were entirely sacked and their government completely obliterated when Fierna attacked their capital. The Shield Land's capital of Critwall was turned into a plague-ridden slaughterhouse with the rest of its small cities also left floundering and at the mercy of the warlords who make their home to the north of them. While some of Nyrond's critical industries are still intact the kingdom has fractured without a functioning government into smaller fiefdoms around the few cities that are still somewhat stable. Unfortunately the refugee crisis there has driven most of them to the brink of collapse. Their western neighbor Urnst was also damaged though thankfully not nearly as severely, as the demons were attempting to take Critwall at all speed. We are currently working to stabilize the situation in what remains of Nyrond and provide relief for them. Once the situation there is more calm we will be in a better position to help others."

"And how, exactly, are you 'stabilizing' the situation?" Marius asked with a hint of skepticism, his dark eyes narrowed in consideration.

"While the cities have the ability to govern their own affairs they still require the strength, and oversight, of a central government to aid them in preventing their collapse due to overpopulation from the refugees." Prometheus stated. "To that end we have offered each city an option to enter into a treaty with us as if they were independent nations wishing to become vassal states. Thus far they have accepted our offers and we are working to provide the manpower and supplies they need in order to build temporary settlements for the refugees. Naturally in time we hope to help the cities grow enough to either accommodate them or build new towns and villages so that they can be self-supporting."

Suddenly the Theocrat began to laugh darkly, his eyes fixed on Prometheus and a sardonic smile on his face. "Oh, very clever, disguising your true intentions through what appears to be altruism. If I did not despise you as a heathen I could almost toast you."

Prometheus frowned gravely at the man's suggestion. "What, precisely, are you implying Theocrat?"

The man's smirk grew wider. "Really? Must you make me point it out to the others when it is obvious what your strategy is? Very well, I suppose someone must explain to the dim-witted fools in the room you have blinded with your so-called 'glory'."

"Careful with your words you over-dressed, pudgy meatball!" Alsharak warned with a growl from above.

"Oh do be quiet!" The Theocrat admonished with a snarl. "I was not speaking to you in any case! Discourse with large lizards are beneath me!"

Alsharak growled impotently, smoke curling from his nostrils. Sitting back in amusement at the sight of the fuming dragon the Theocrat glanced around the room at the hostile gazes turned towards him. "You believe this Prometheus acts from the goodness of his heart and that he intends to help those poor, pitiful fools in Nyrond but in truth this is merely a clever ruse to grab power and land for himself. The demons have done his work for him in bringing the former kingdom to its knees. All he needs now is sweep in and scoop it up while using honeyed words and a helping hand to prevent revolt. Who will be next on his list I wonder?" He suggested, glancing about. "If we are not careful he will control every province in the land before too long."

"My actions speak for themselves and so do yours." Prometheus replied sharply, his steel colored eyes boring into the Theocrat's own. "Your unlawful annexation of your neighbor Tenh during the demonic invasion has not gone unnoticed by me or others. The motives you assign to me appear to fit you as well. Are we both, then, as heartless as the other?" He suggested.

"And thus we come to the crux of it." Theoman stated with grim relish. "For none of you here are righteous or blameless in your motives! Everyone here would love to expand their borders as they see fit, unfettered by the uneasy alliances you have created between yourselves! With his declaration you now have the excuse you need to do so, do not try to deny you all have such desires in your hearts!" He insisted, glaring at them.

Prometheus sighed. "Theocrat I begin to wonder if you are trying to intentionally sabotage our efforts here. Since you have arrived you have only been sowing dissent and distrust. Surely you could find more positive thoughts to express for even you must have some deep within your brain." He said with a glare.

"I merely speak the truth about the hearts of men." The Theocrat stated with smug satisfaction. "That you cannot stomach such a truth is not my concern. I merely thought it would be prudent to speak plainly about why we are all here. You do value truth and plain speech, do you not?" He asked mockingly.

"And you believe we are here to do what, exactly?" Prometheus asked him archly. "Invade our neighbors lands and crush them under our heels?"

"I couldn't have put it better myself." The man stated with cold confidence. "After all, we are here to carve up the kingdoms of this world as we see fit are we not, seeing as how we are the survivors of that terrible invasion? I see no other reason for us being here."

"Then your heart is as black as the Abyss itself." Prometheus pronounced grimly. "For that is certainly not the intention of forming this council. Quite the opposite in fact."

"And yet, disrespectful as his point was, it is still valid." Gellor remarked. "After all, the people of Furyondy are in disarray as are the Shield Lands and various other areas that were attacked so ferociously. What are we to do with such a crisis? We cannot allow them to fend for themselves or even more anarchy will follow."

"My people will help when and where they can." Alsharak informed them. "But our numbers are not limitless nor are our powers. If you would have us, many of the clans would like to settle near the various communities and cities of your realm, not only to defend them from the remaining children of Tiamat but also help in the reconstruction and reintroduction of dragons into society as a whole."

"Absolutely not!" Theoman retorted. "I will not have such creatures invading the Pale's lands!"

"Fortunately for you we have no interest in residing near such bigoted fools." Alsharak replied snidely before looking about at the others. "But I extend my offer to all of you. You will find we can be of great help not only in terms of physical power and martial prowess but our wisdom is the wisdom of a millennia's worth of experiences."

"I will need to speak with my own Council of Lords to decide that." Larrangin stated. "This is not a decision we can make at this time without discussion with the nobility. However, I will say I am not opposed to the idea on the face of it. If you and your people are willing to aid us then I believe we can find room for you."

The others nodded in agreement.

"As many of the northern lands were once ours and the only sentients living there now are of darker natures we shall be taking up residence there as well." Alsharak stated. "The Council of Wyrms, of which I am the Caretaker, will be remaining in what was once Dorakaa to ensure such evil never rears its head in this place again. I trust no one takes issue with that?" He asked firmly.

"All in favor of allowing the Council of Wyrms dominion over the city and environs of Dorakaa?" Prometheus asked.

A chorus of 'aye's' was heard around the room.

"So be it." Prometheus replied firmly as Davis recorded the motion on a paper he had brought with him. .

"Returning to one of our earlier concerns," the Canon said as he adjusted his glasses, "while I dislike immensely the thought of taking advantage of Furyondy's situation the fact remains that Furyondy as we know it no longer exists. We _must_ provide a stabilizing influence if we are to prevent mass starvation and rampant banditry of our own lands. Creating vassal states from those affected would be the cleanest solution and the help of the various Knightly Orders as well as other clerical Orders like the Billets of St. Cuthbert would help keep the roads safe."

"Ahlissa is also doing what it can to ease the burdens of the other kingdoms." Xavener informed them. "We have been giving steep discounts on the goods we trade to the various kingdoms as well as absorbed some of the costs regarding transportation such as fees and extra protection to ensure the goods arrive safely. Thankfully our coffers are deep enough that we can continue these practices for a while into the future. Hopefully long enough that our neighbors can rebuild, at which time we can begin to slowly adjust prices back to their normal amounts."

The others nodded at this.

"That has been a godsend of course." Gellor said. "It has allowed us to buy much more raw material than usual and so our reconstruction efforts are moving quickly."

The smiling man inclined his head gracefully to the portly ruler. "Always happy to help!"

"Veluna, at least, is in a position to help the former Furyondians." The Canon said. "If the Order of the Hart and the Peacekeepers of Rao can help defend our border we can reach out to further help those in need with supplies and guidance."

"Greyhawk stands ready to help those nearby our walls as well." Gasgal agreed. "I will speak with the Council of Eight to see if they can provide assistance as they command groups of men and have powerful spells at their disposal."

"I will speak with Pholtus upon my return to see if He agrees to this aid." The Theocrat remarked caustically. "Though I can already guess His answer with be 'no'."

The others around the table nodded thoughtfully though Queen Yolande remained aloof, shaking her head. "The Elven nation is bordered by mountains and the sea. We have no nearby neighbors we can assist easily and our kingdom is small. We must conserve what we have."

"We can, of course, discuss this in more detail later." Prometheus interjected. "In addition to the reconstruction we will need to rebuild much of the roadways and similar infrastructure across the various kingdoms. I have already been improving the roadways of my kingdom but I would like to improve them across the rest of the continent as well. I have spoken with the God of Travel and He has already given his approval as has Beory."

"More heretical talk." Theoman grumbled from his seat. "I shall have to plug my ears soon."

"You have the materials for this?" Magnus asked dubiously, ignoring the quietly fuming High Priest.

Prometheus nodded. "With help from Ahlissa's trade networks they have been able to install some production facilities in several cities they serve. It is already being used to a limited degree to rebuild destroyed structures. With everyone's permission of course, I would like to expand these operations so that all cities have one such place at least. The material, known as concrete, is essentially liquid stone that can be molded into various shapes and allowed to harden. Roads made of this material can bear a great deal of wear and tear and can also be repaired easily."

"No doubt you will charge a fee for such services?" Lord Owen remarked snidely.

A quiet smile appeared on Prometheus's face. "Even my coffers are not infinite my Lords, I must make profit from somewhere if I am to continue aiding our fellow refugees. But I have no intention of making you all penniless."

"We will be happy to draft a proposal for you all to read at your leisure." Xavener said. "I can have our scribes draft it and send it to you within a week or so."

"Does anyone oppose this?" Prometheus asked, looking about. "I doubt even you would oppose having your roads improved good Theocrat." He suggested with a teasing smile to the man.

The man snorted in disdain, his head resting idly against his gloved hand. "I would mistrust any road built by a lizard."

Prometheus chuckled at this. "Fortunately for you I would not be building the road, but rather people who have experience with such things. I have other things to occupy my time, after all."

"No doubt." The man remarked disdainfully.

"Before we partake our afternoon meal there is one other matter I would like to address." Prometheus suggested. "While I understand that some of you wish to remain neutral in various matters there is a concern regarding free movement between the various kingdoms. Previously time was lost when one needed to move an army to an ally's defense but a neutral kingdom was between them, thus forcing them to send a missive to the King and have them approve it."

"You wish to have troops be allowed across sovereign kingdom lines at will?" Lord Owen asked cautiously.

"In wartime I would ask that neutral kingdoms allow such free movement in order to defend themselves or their allies, yes." Prometheus said. "This would also allow others to come to your own aid more quickly should the need arise. I realize this is a weighty issue and cannot be decided now but I would ask that you think on it."

The others nodded at this though most of them appeared unexcited about the idea. A moment later a gong sounded throughout the room.

"It has been a long morning my friends so let us adjourn the meeting for now and enjoy a more filling repast below." He said, standing and spreading his hands in invitation.

"At last, a sentence from your mouth that is not heresy." Theoman remarked with caustic humor as they began to file out of the room.


	6. Time Shifts and a Time of Joining

**Chapter 5: Time Shifts and a Time of Joining**

Time continued on as it has a wont to do and the following years were a time of great change for much of Oerth. Under the auspices of the Council which continued to meet at least once a year, much to the Theocrat's annoyance, the chaos following the war was slowly and inexorably replaced by order as society rebuilt itself with the survivors of the war slowly expanding their borders to encompass those that had lost their national identities, their livelihoods, and their futures. For brevity's sake I will describe these changes in the broadest of terms as many historical documentaries, textbooks, and other media produced by the various kingdoms themselves have discussed these matters individually and in exhaustive detail. Suffice to say that while these events are historically significant and helped shape the world at that time, they are not officially part of our Empire's personal history and thus shall be briefly mentioned to provide context.

Surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges, specifically the Crystalmists, the Great Barrier, and the Lortmils, as well as the great Azure Sea to the east, the small band of kingdoms to the southwest, specifically Bissel, Geoff, the Gran March, Keoland, and the Yeomanry, were for the most part unchanged as the demons had set their sights on larger prey. Even so, the cooperation and trade they had enjoyed continued to strengthen with the creation of new roads and infrastructure built by the Emperor and His servants.

The Dwarves, their kingdom situated between the Elves of Celene to the northeast beyond the Lortmils and the southwestern kingdoms to the west, continued their exploitation of the vast mineral wealth beneath the Lortmils as they had done for centuries. However, with the advent of modern mining methods and technologies wrought by the Emperor and presented to their king, the wealth literally flowed like rivers from the roots of the mountains, allowing their underground kingdom to expand greatly. Looking to expand their profits even further they looked to the Drachensgrab Hills to their southeast. Traditionally a land of dark repute from which many dark creatures and monsters made their home, the Dwarves resolved to remove their blight from the world once and for all in order that they might make use of the trade routes along the nearby Woolly Bay which was in turn used by the powerful cities of Greyhawk, Dyvers, and Elmshire.

These three cities had declared themselves and the lands about them a free trade zone uninvolved with the politics of their nearby neighbors, namely Urnst, Celene, and the former kingdom of Furyondy. However, unlike the Elves they had no wish to isolate themselves from the world and the massive Nyr Dyv lake to their north had always been one of their greatest means of profit as shipping lanes had been woven between the various lake-side cities for centuries. The mineral wealth of the nearby Lortmils also allowed them greater prosperity and freedom though the influx of wealth from the Dwarves were sure to increase them as well.

For the Dwarves' part, their cleansing of the Drachensgrab Hills proved to be a drawn out affair as the hills and mountains were found to be filled with bolt holes and bunkers hewn out of the old stone from which the Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins could sally forth and harass the armies with guerilla tactics before retreating back into their holds. But few had the stubborn nature the Dwarves possessed and having unparalleled skill in mining they made for excellent sappers. Weeks would be spent digging underground access tunnels into the very bowels of the hills before moving up into the hidden bunkers, breaking through their rear passageways before the enemy realized their predicament. These maneuvers also had the added benefit of allowing the Dwarves to scout for veins of minerals to be mined out later on once the army's work was complete.

They are nothing if not a pragmatic people.

To the north of the Lortmil mountains Veluna had undergone a massive expansion to help the downtrodden citizens of the ruined former kingdom of Furyondy to their east. Added by the Holy Order of the Peacekeepers of Rao as well as other knightly Orders Veluna had slowly but surely extended its eastern borders by building new towns and villages which helped ease the refugee crisis affecting the western part of the continent. The former cities of Libernen, Littleberg, and Willip were slowly rebuilt to conform to Velunian architecture before being declared part of the ArchClericy. Terminators and artisans from Utopia also aided in the reconstruction bulldozing ruined structures and rebuilding homes and businesses, to providing new farming equipment and robust seeds, to creating hospitals and temples to the gods of light, including Prometheus. The process, while slow and gradual, eventually reached its fruition nearly a decade later with Veluna having more than doubled in size, it eastern border now the western edge of the Nyr Dyv lake and its northern border the Crystal river just above the former Furyondy capital of Chendl.

The lands north of the Crystal river which had once belonged to Iuz had by this time been settled by the Council of Wyrms and their metallic Dragons. In addition to controlling the crumbling ruin that had been Dorakaa they also controlled the vast Vesve forest to the west of Iuz's former citadel which allowed them to bargain for lumber trading. Iuz's lands had quickly been emptied of his former servants and the other dark creatures that had long made their home there as the Dragons had not tolerated their presence. The dark cities of Molag, Ixworth, and Izlen as well as others had quickly evacuated due to the Dragons' overwhelming might. The spiteful creatures were forced to flee to the cold, darker reaches of the marshes and ice fields near the northern edge of the continent, the ancestral home of the nomadic humanoid Wolf and Tiger tribes. The Dragons had also extended their reach eastward to the western half of the Shield Lands, being the only creatures who dared brave the horror that Critwall had become. A dark and violent thunderstorm still floated perpetually over the ruined city with flashes of unnatural purple lightning and acidic rain a common sight. The air and ground were filled with plagues and diseases of various kinds, wrought by the God of Suffering and Nightmare during the Demon war and the broken buildings themselves were charged with unholy energies and dark enchantments from the battle that had been fought there.

Even now, years later with the Dragons' regular attempts to cleanse the city it was still a festering sore upon the world.

Further still, Alsharak had pledged to have his warriors guard the tower of the Council of Kingdoms, ensuring it would forever be unspoiled and a haven of cooperation as well as the border marker between their lands and the kingdom of Urnst.

Further to the north and east the Theocracy of the Pale had once again been able to expand its borders west beyond that of the former small kingdom of Tenh, which it controlled by proxy, to the Feelreev forest that bordered on the Dragons' lands. While the Theocrat had attempted to first take the forest and the lands to the west of it by force, the overwhelming power of the Dragons had curtailed any hopes he had in that regard. Finally he had grudgingly settled the western border of the Pale a few miles into the forest as the Dragons had no need of even more trees, the forest providing a natural buffer zone between the antagonistic Pale and the aloof Metallics. While the Theocrat had also attempted to increase the Pale's southern border he had been relatively stymied by the local warlords that made up the Bandit Kingdoms to the south. Having seen the Theocrat's expansionistic tendencies and the arrogance with which the soldiers of the priesthood carried themselves, the once disparate tribes had banded together in a loose alliance to drive back the invaders from the north, thus far with varying degrees of success.

The eastern part of the Shield Lands, south of the Bandit Kingdoms, east of the Council tower, and bordered by the Nyr Dyv to the south, had been taken over by Urnst as they had lent their resources and aide to the people of the region, unwilling to have them starve. More towns along the northern and eastern edges of the Nyr Dyv were built to increase trading between them and the free trading zone sponsored by Greyhawk to the south. To the south of Urnst, the Bright Desert where Prometheus had located Kynathia had also begun to be settled by more brass Dragons, including Kynathia herself. Despite Prometheus's misgivings the young brass Dragon had decided to return to her roots and help rebuild the city she had grown up in before her exile into the wastes where Prometheus had found her. With the Council of Wyrms permission she had taken a fleet of like-minded brass Dragons and they had begun to construct lairs for themselves, the Dragons already partial to the hot, dry climate, as well as giving them a bastion in the south-eastern side of the continent.

Such was their proliferation in later years that the mountain range separating Urnst from the desert became known as the Brass Hills.

Per the treaty signed by the various Governors, the Emperor continued to rebuild and restore the cities of Nyrond between Urnst and Utopia, eventually making it a part of his empire with Ahlissa and its lands directly across his southern border. The lands of the Bone March to the north of the empire were quickly absorbed into the realm, the various Gnoll and Orc tribes putting up a vicious but ultimately futile fight given that the creatures tended to fight with bone weapons whereas Prometheus's troops were armed with plasma rifles and modern body armor.

After seeing the utter desolation of the tribes and the ease with which it was accomplished, the few small towns and cities quickly capitulated to the Emperor's wishes.

At the same time the dirt and cobblestone roads that linked the various kingdoms were steadily being converted into a simple but robust series of concrete roadways and steel bridges with new buildings being built of sturdier concrete or reinforced stone as well as a few steel structures. The trading houses of Ahlissa also began to offer new and innovative devices to the denizens of the various cities with Prometheus's blessing, including slim wands that created a beam of white light at the press of a button or lamps that produced warm light without the need of oil as well as machines that allowed the harvesting of crops and their delivery to market to be much more efficient. Such wonders as these were formerly only available to the wizards or nobility who had regular access to them and even then they would only be sold to non-magic users for exorbitant amounts, assuming such things could even be created. Now, however, they were available to the masses though their prices still remained a bit high. New weaving machines became available to seamstresses and clothiers throughout the lands as well as new metal-working processes that had blacksmiths and metalworkers of all types coming to Utopia in droves in order to learn these new techniques. Complex musical instruments of various types were being seen in upper-class taverns and sitting rooms and a new distilling process for common beers and ales that lessened the effect of hangovers quickly became popular with the common man.

Utopia's schools and universities soon became very much in demand with the amount of new goods becoming available. While a student of the mystic arts might study under one of the great Archmages in Greyhawk or a young person looking to become part of Pelor's or Rao's priesthood might study in Mitrik or Veluna City, to learn the new arts of technology or science one went to study under the Emperor. Lord Prometheus himself had hardly been idle during this time as he had continued to not only control his burgeoning empire but had been absorbing everything knowable about Darlana's ship and the technology it used. The ship's central data core had contained a wealth of knowledge regarding the ship's components and workings in case the pilot had needed to effect repairs on any of the systems. The various components themselves from the inertial dampening system, scanner suite, engines, and even the hull composition had allowed him to extrapolate and create a multitude of new materials, devices, and systems that would seem like magic even on Earth with its cutting edge technology.

Beowulf's priesthood also continued to grow as temples to his master sprouted in many major cities throughout the land. The message of progress and self-improvement through technology he preached became known across the continent. One prospect that no doubt strengthened this was the possibility of direct access. While all the peoples of Oerth had no doubt about the existence of the gods and their servants, to have one of the divines be directly approachable in any sense was an astonishing idea for most. As a result, more and more people flocked to his new empire and its enlightened ways of thinking to be in the presence of a truly divine being; to be able to speak with him or simply bask in his presence as he walked among his people when not holding court was a life changing event for virtually all who encountered him. Impressed by the capabilities and wonders the members of the priesthood and even common citizens could accomplish with technology that previously had only been possible through higher-ranking priests or powerful wizards, many had joined or become citizens to be granted what was becoming known as the Emperor's Boon.

The Emperor's relationship with Arianasa also continued to grow at a relatively quick pace. While most Dragon courtships could easily last for decades the Emperor found himself growing more and more in love with his companion every day, no doubt a remnant of his human existence. Arianasa's kind and gentle nature was a strong counterpoint to his powerful and sometimes overbearing presence and she would often be found seated with him in court, their auras swirling about each other in soft swirls of gold and silver. Her skills in healing had quickly flourished under Bahamut's divine guidance and she was becoming known by many as the Empress of Mercy with a few even offering private prayers to her during their morning devotionals before going about their day. Such was their connection to each other that after a mere fifteen years of courtship the two had decided to cement their bond in matrimony...

* * *

 _Temple of Prometheus_

 _Veluna City, Veluna_

 _Godsday (midweek), the month of Wealsun (July)_

 _537 of the Common Year (Year 15 Post-Ascension)_

People continued to arrive in twos and threes to the temple upon hearing the news of the marriage ceremony. Announcements had been made periodically for weeks regarding the impending date and the large temple was packed to the brim. The temple itself was a tall structure several stories high constructed of smooth white concrete. Unlike various other temples dedicated to the various gods, this one eschewed the use of more baroque or classical architectural styles, instead focusing on straight lines and sharp edges similar to modern Earth aesthetics. The structure was designed to emulate a wide-based, long triangular prism with the two sides slanted upward. The top edge and ceiling had been cut flat and filled with clear glass to allow white light to filter down the center of the massive room while the diagonal walls were covered with stained glass depicting Prometheus engaged with various foes such as Fierna or the Lich Iuz or dispensing wisdom to the masses. The large amount of windows as well as the variety of colors filled the entire room with a veritable rainbow of colors up and down both sides with a stripe of pure clear light down the main central aisle. At the front of the building where the two walls met, a spike of concrete and steel shot upwards for another fifty feet, the tip decorated with a large sunburst containing a golden statue of Prometheus's dragon form. The front entrance contained a pair of large brass doors and at the apse in the back of the room, dominating the rear, was a massive metal statue of brass and gold depicting Prometheus himself in perfect detail, the status in a sitting position with its wings folded and head held high while its open paws were cupped at the floor.

Placed on the floor between the two large paws was a supplicant pillow.

Around the room floated a series of large square mirrors. Placed there specifically for the ceremony, they allowed those who watched to see the exterior face of the palace in Utopia, a large crowd standing in front of it, waiting for the ceremony to start. Standing in front of the temple's crowd was a middle-aged man with a thin beard in silver and gold robes with Prometheus's sunburst symbol upon his left breast, signifying his role as a priest. While his right hand was normal flesh, his left was seemingly covered in a skin-tight gauntlet of gold metal.

"Friends, I bid you welcome to our temple!" He said in a clear voice. "We expect the ceremony to start in a few short minutes! While I see many familiar faces here today I also see those who are unfamiliar with our faith and have never set foot inside this holy place! For those who are new here I bid you welcome in the name of our Lord Prometheus! As you know, our Lord has been accomplishing much since he began his work on Oerth years ago! Many of your lives have been enriched by the devices and constructions he has done these last few years but you have never been educated on who he is or his priesthood! There are even those who do not believe he is a god in the truest sense and many who are confused as to what we believe! I would not see such ignorance continue! If you will allow me to enlighten you briefly while we wait for the ceremony to begin, I would have you know who we are and what we are about!"

Looking about for a moment, he continued. "Our master is the Lord of Technology and Innovation. You ask yourselves, 'what is this word 'technology' he uses, for I have never heard such a thing before'. Technology is a tool or artifact created by our Lord for the good of all, using principles of science! Like magic, if one has the knowledge, training, and tools to create such marvels they too could create them. But unlike magic that changes the world and shapes it by power and will alone, science uses understanding and wisdom to create artifacts based on what is already in the world! Thus our Lord takes raw materials from the ground like iron and wood, air from the sky, and water from the sea, and remakes them into delights such as we have never seen! All these things improve our lives and yet can be created without the gods or magic if one understands how and has the tools to make them! It is his undying belief that technology has the power to uplift and allow every man and woman to become great! It is his will that the world should be strengthened by technology so that his people can face any challenge or defeat any foe! He is also a firm believer in granting knowledge and enlightenment to others! With enlightenment comes wisdom and with wisdom comes power! The power to change one's self! The power to change their lot in life! The power to change the world itself!" He exclaimed. "This the central tenet of our faith, my friends! Using technology to better the world and all things in it to ensure a glorious future for us all!"

"Of course," he continued in a more moderate tone, "this begs the question 'Why, then, do we need such a god as this if man can create such wonders?'. The answer to this question is another tenet of our faith. Our Lord creates wonders at a level we cannot comprehend for such knowledge and power is beyond even the wisest of us! Just as magic can be used for good and noble purposes so can technology. But magic can also be corrupted and used for vile purposes and so to can technology! To prevent this our Lord has instructed that all technology be used for noble purposes whenever possible and to never use them for evil! His guiding hand and the work of his faithful help to ensure such a thing does not come to pass! For the moment we are given small, simple trinkets to better our lives but in the decades and even centuries to come we shall see greater wonders than these! But great wonders also have the power for great destruction and ruin if misused and so they must be controlled by those who are wise in the ways of technology and prudent in their uses! Thus our Lord and His High Priest choose His servants carefully, to ensure that all those who serve him do so with a humble heart and a strong mind!"

"Lastly, my friends," he said in a more humble tone, "the technology he provides us allows us to do a great many things for the betterment of others. You have seen the Sun Lord's clerics heal a man of his wounds, so to can we do such things. You have seen wizards freeze a monster in its tracks, or shoot lightning from their hands, these are powers we have as well by our Lord's grace. These mirrors you see before you allow us to see and hear what happens in Utopia, hundreds of miles away the moment it happens! These are not magic mirrors my friends, these are the wonders our Lord can create on a whim if he chooses! Every temple in the lands dedicated to our Lord has been given these mirrors for this occasion so that all might see and know of him and his bride to be!"

Suddenly the statue behind the priest let out a low bass tone for several seconds before falling silent. With a smile the priest gestured to the surprised crowd.

"The ceremony begins!"

* * *

 _The Imperial Palace, Utopia_

 _A short time earlier..._

Bells rang out across the shining city with a clear blue sky and sun overhead. Throngs of people filled the streets as they moved towards the center of the city, hoping to catch a glimpse of the proceedings. Within the palace's throne room the various ministers stood about in small groups talking quietly amongst themselves before slowing filing out of the room to take their places outside. Beowulf stood in a silver and white robe nearby, the afternoon sun shining in through the crystal cupola above making his chrome-like forearm glint and flash. In a surprising break from his usual dark and somber attire Davis was currently wearing vestments of white and silver in keeping with the theme of the day. Prometheus himself was sitting on the golden cloth pillow with Arianasa reclining next to him, a smaller silver pillow having been inset into the floor next to his in anticipation of her new role as Empress once the ceremony had been concluded.

 _The next iteration of ballistic nano-sheath enchanted armor should be out of its final testing phase soon and our magi-techs in R &D Division 7 managed to solve the rune etching issue._ Davis was reporting to Prometheus mentally. _They're using micro-laser bursts to create a constant winding string of tiny etchings across the entire surface of the object. Apparently this limits the amount of power that can be infused into them given Mordenkainen's Law but they're looking into ways around that._

Prometheus nodded. _Is there anything else of note before I attend my wedding?_ He asked sardonically.

 _Nothing important no._ Davis replied. _Though you might be interested to know I have confirmation from the various terminators that serve in your temples. The large viewing mirrors and sound systems have been set up and all of them are packed with not only believers but people who want to see the event. It's apparently extremely popular to see a god and head of state marry a mortal._

Prometheus laughed quietly at this. _Or it could simply be the prospect of being able to watch such an event for the first time on what are in essence gigantic magic viewing mirrors, something most will never have access to._

 _That too._ Davis admitted. _The viewing mirrors have also been set up around the city and everything's working properly. The only reason people won't have seen it is if they stay in their homes and shut out everything._

Prometheus nodded. "Then I believe it is time." He said, standing, with Arianasa rising to join him.

Prometheus turned to look at his bride to be. "How are you my dear?" He asked gently with a kind gaze.

Arianasa smiled softly. "I am a bit nervous, I will not lie. Normally such ceremonies are rather private but few dragons are ever heads of state so I suppose I must suffer through the masses gawking at us."

Prometheus chuckled softly. "They do so out of the greatest respect for you my dear. You are the envy of the entire empire and perhaps even the world itself."

Arianasa lowered her eyes demurely. "I would never presume such but still...it is a heady thought."

Prometheus nodded. "Indeed. But come, we must present ourselves to our people before the ceremony begins."

"You still have not told me who will be officiating over us." Arianasa mused as they both transformed into their human aspects, slowly walked down the long carpet that led to the throne room's main doors. "It cannot be Beowulf for he is your High Priest. One of Bahamut's cleric's perhaps or the ArchCleric? I did notice he was in attendance with several of his Cardinals."

Prometheus smiled knowingly. "You will know soon enough, my joy. Believe me, it will be quite appropriate."

The Terminator guards opened the doors automatically as they drew near them, stepping through the archway and into the adjoining foyer where supplicants waited on a daily basis to speak with him and the court. Moving across the room and down the large, opulent corridor to the receiving room which doubled as the entry hall he enjoyed the feel of the warm sun spilling into the room through the various tall crystal windows. It was something of an illusion of course, as the palace technically did not exist on the Prime Material plane. Being the heart of his godly realm the structure itself existed in a pocket universe of his own creation with a perfect reconstruction of the exterior sitting where the palace had once existed. However, given his command of local reality and his ability to manipulate it, pulling sunlight from the mortal realm and streaming it in through the windows that were enchanted to show what was going on outside was child's play. The massive main doors opened and immediately the pair were hit with a massive burst of sound from thousands of throats as the people began to cheer wildly alongside the sounds of silver trumpets sounding their arrival. Stepping through the archway they could both feel the tingle of exotic energies as they stepped between one reality and another, the main doorway housing a permanent transparent portal between the mortal realm and his own. Stepping out into the true sunlight, their jeweled necklaces and crowns shone brightly along with their light colored royal robes.

They smiled at the people as they raised their hands in welcome and benediction, Arianasa looking slightly overwhelmed at the sight before her. Upon the massive lawn before the palace, hemmed by Knights of the Radiant Dragon in their gleaming armor as well as Terminators in silvery plate mail, was a vast crowd of people from all over the city and beyond who waved and cheered loudly, the number enough that they spilled into the street beyond and even the roadways further out. Closer to the front of the palace, surrounded by not only Prometheus's guards but their own honor guards, were various dignitaries from across the continent. Canon Harfell of Veluna was in attendance as well as Overking Xavener of Ahlissa. Kynathia and several brass Dragons had made an appearance as well as Alsharak, Caretaker of the Council of Wyrms. The Lord Mayor of Greyhawk had sent his representative, a powerful archmage of repute, as had several other kingdoms. At various strategic spots she could see massive square mirrors floating in mid air, allowing the people further back to see and hear what was going on in front of the palace.

Davis unobtrusively took his place off to the side of them, his eyes scanning the crowd as well as the rooftops for any undesirable elements that might wish to disrupt the proceedings as undercover Terminators scattered throughout the crowd and the city provided him with constant updates on all that was going on, their electronic eyes and sensors switching constantly from visual range to infrared, x-ray, and more, their audio sensors filtering various conversations as they passed by. At the same time, clerics and wizards in the employ of the Emperor sat within the palace's security hub, using scryings of various sorts to constantly scan for any demonic or magical disruptions. While Davis was well aware that Prometheus, with his divine senses, would most likely sense anything out of the ordinary before his people did, it was nice to have the reassurance of other eyes keeping track. One couldn't be too careful after all, especially on an occasion such as this when you had dignitaries and several heads of state from across the continent in attendance, not to mention the Emperor would be somewhat distracted by the events going on.

Stepping around the pair to stand before them, Beowulf raised his hands, calling for quiet. After a few minutes the crowd finally settled down to a low rumble.

"Citizens of Utopia! Followers of the faith! Friends, guests, and any who may be seeing me and listening to the sound of my voice, I bid you welcome to this most glorious of occasions!" He shouted in his rough voice, his golden eyes gleaming in the afternoon sun.

The crowd began to cheer again and Beowulf once again raised his hands, the crowd quieting after a time.

"On this day we celebrate an event 15 years in the making!" He announced. "The joining of our Lord and Emperor with his soul mate Arianasa Darshana, priestess and cleric of Bahamut, the Lord of the North Wind and all Metallic Dragons!"

The crowd cheered once again, calming after a few moments at the Gnoll's behest.

"This woman, this Dragon of grace, has given us all much in the time she has been among us!" Beowulf said loudly. "For me personally, she had given much of herself in a time when I was in dire need. When I suffered most cruelly at the hands of an enemy, such that my very mind had been broken, she used all her power and all her skill to help heal me of those most grievous wounds! When the demons attacked our people and our city with the help of the dark gods she helped lead the charge against her most hated enemy, Tiamat herself! The dark goddess of evil Dragons!" He declared. "In the years that followed she helped our people heal and grow to be greater than we are! In the years that followed she has served our Lord faithfully in all things and yet she still held to her faith in her god Bahamut, serving Him faithfully as well!"

Beowulf smiled at her. "Most of all, she has done all these things with grace and humility, never exalting herself or considering her works something to be praised, but merely her natural duty. Works that she would do naturally out of the goodness of her heart without thought or reservation. She is an ideal we can all aspire to, just as our Lord is an example to aspire to!" He insisted as he turned to face the crowd again.

"For those who have never heard, let your ears be filled with wisdom and understanding!" Beowulf said. "You know of the gods as powerful and far away but with our Lord it is not so! Our Lord walks among us, divinity incarnate, but it was not always so! Our Lord was once a man like you! Yes! A man with failings and quirks and fears! A man who had lost and had gained throughout his life! A man who was like all men in all ways! For years he traveled Oerth, fighting in the wars of Iuz! It was my honor, even then, to walk by his side and guard him! He was and is as a brother to me! Such was his purity of spirit, such was his strength of will, that he dared to challenge Iuz at the height of his power when he gained unholy false life as a Lich of great power! Such was his willingness to give everything that he and the ArchCleric, the former Canon Hazen sacrificed themselves to destroy the foul army of undead Iuz and Ivid had created!"

"Had his story ended there it would have been enough for any man! But even in death our Lord was faithful, compassionate, and filled with a perfect sense of justice! He begged the gods to let the people who had been changed by Iuz's foul sorceries be returned to their natural lives, whole and uncorrupted! But as he was, our Lord could not accomplish such a feat as a simple spirit! And thus the gods allowed him his first ascension into glory! Returning as our Lord Prometheus, ascended beyond any mortal man but not yet fully divine, he restored the people, body, mind, and soul! He brought them to their homes and began his great crusade to create Utopia out of the ruins of the ancient Great Empire's former capital! Cleansing the undead and burning away the corruption of Ivid and his followers, Utopia rose as a shining example to all! Throughout the Demon War when the dark gods attempted to destroy all that was good in this world He led the charge against them! Injured, battered, and beaten down by the forces arrayed against Him, He chose still to fight! When all was said and done, the demons defeated at his feet, our Lord was prepared to continue on as He was without thought of reward or compensation! But the gods, in their wisdom and grace, granted Him His greatest and final ascension as thanks for all He had done! Now truly a god, He rebuilt our empire greater than it was before and even to this day His works and gifts benefit us all! Know that you shall see wonders greater than these in the years to come for the things you have seen are but a sampling of His wisdom and power! The salvation and regeneration He offers is open to all who would believe in Him and call Him Lord, for He is a generous god! I stand here before you now and tell you with an open and truthful heart that I have never had cause to doubt Him or His will for me, nor have I ever desired to not be His servant! It is a glorious service and those who serve Him are richly rewarded for their faith and works in His name! I call upon all who hear me this day, come to Him in earnest faith! Your trust will not be wasted and you will find the glory you have always sought within your heart of hearts!"

The crowd cheered loudly again as Beowulf stood there, a content expression on his face before he signalled for silence.

"But today is not about past deeds and glories and so I shall not dwell on them overlong! Today is a day of love, of cherishing, of promise, and of hope! And so it is with the highest honor and the greatest joy that I introduce He who will be joining these two in holy matrimony! One who needs no introduction and the only one worthy of such a joining as this! I give you His Great Holiness, Pelor, Sun Lord and Lord of Life!"

As Beowulf raised his right hand of flesh to the sky a ray from the sun appeared to erupt from the heavens and shoot down to impact against the ground nearby. In a flash of light, the god's avatar stood among them a short distance away from Beowulf. The crowd gasped in amazement and awe as Pelor gazed upon all of them, his brilliant aura filling the entire area, his tanned leonine face gentle with unfathomable compassion and grace. He was dressed in white robes as clean as white snow and as bright as lightning, a sash of the purest brilliant gold around his waist and diagonally across his chest and shoulder. His white hair was thick and full as it fell about his face and shoulders and in his hand he bore a scepter of gold, studded with gems, the head a sunburst with a face in the center. The people immediately knelt in reverence to him with Beowulf, Davis, and Arianasa doing the same. Only Prometheus dared to stand in the god's presence though he inclined his head in great respect to the powerful deity.

"Good people," Pelor began, his voice like rumbling thunder, "I am filled with joy to walk amongst you on this most radiant of days. It has been far too long since I have truly stood before two people and joined them together as one. Not since the ancient days of legend before even the Dragon Wars have an immortal and a mortal become one flesh. Yet here we stand, in witness of this great event. Before I begin I would like to invite one of my peers to join us as they too have an interest in these proceedings."

Stretching out his hands in welcome a blaze of silver light erupted beside him. Standing next to him, his platinum scales gleaming in the sun, stood Bahamut, Lord of Dragons. The crowd gasped again as they reflexively bowed to the new arrival.

"Behold Lord Bahamut!" Arianasa called out clearly with reverence as she stood from bowing to him. "My patron Lord and Lord of the North Wind! The Platinum Dragon incarnate!"

Bahamut looked about at the people with a smile before turning to address Pelor. "I am honored to stand among such devout mortals as these, especially my special servant."

He then turned to look upon Arianasa. "You have done well Arianasa, in the time since your awakening. You have served me with devotion and zeal just as you have served your husband to be in the same manner. You have healed and tended to his servants with a humility and selflessness that is rarely seen among my children and for such charity and purity of spirit you shall be rewarded. Consider this, if you will, my wedding present to you. As a father gives away his child to their intended, so do I grant you leave to be his mate."

Arianasa bowed low to the dragon god. "Let my Lord's will be done unto me as you have said."

Pelor turned to look upon her fully. "One of the reasons a joining of an immortal and a mortal is such a rare event is because of the issue of children." He stated. "In such cases as these, few as they are, there is doubt as to what form the child will take or whether the mother may even be able to carry it to term safely due to the powers the infant may inherit and instinctively use, even in the womb or egg. On this occasion, however, I choose to intervene as is my right as Lord of Life."

Stretching forth a hand, golden light issued from it before flowing over to Arianasa and surrounding her before seeping into her body, the crowd murmuring in awe at what they were seeing.

"By My hand I grant you the grace to carry any child the two of you may conceive. Let your body be strong through any stresses the child might incur upon you for it knows not what it does. So mote it be."

Arianasa took in a deep breath as she felt the god's power fill her with new strength before she bowed low to him. "My gratitude knows no bounds, your Eminence. Your compassion and generosity are boundless indeed."

Pelor smiled gently at her before withdrawing his hand and looking over at Bahamut who stepped towards her.

"As I said, I too have a boon to bestow upon you for your faultless service to me." He stated. "Transform child, that I might behold you in all your glory."

With another bow Arianasa stepped away from the others before shifting into her dragon form. Her silver scales glistening in the sun she took a step forward towards Bahamut.

"An immortal's power and strength is beyond that of any mortal no matter how strong." He stated. "Prometheus's plasma breath is powerful, as hot as the Hellfire of the Nine Hells itself. His body is no longer bound by such trivial things as muscle and bone. Even the strongest of Dragons, immune to normal flames and sealed in the strongest natural armor known, could be injured by him whether by accident or intent. Thus I shall bless you that you might be strengthened further. Know that this blessing shall only apply to him and him alone to help ensure the integrity of your bond. It shall not protect you from others."

"Further," he declared, "Dragon though you are, you are still bound to the ravages of time and Death will eventually take you from your husband to be. However, if you wish it, I will allow you to begin the path of ascension so that, should you follow it to the end, you shall be as he once was, one step from divinity but yet mortal in some aspects."

Arianasa's eyes widened in surprise at this. "You would allow me to become an Ascendant like Prometheus was?" She breathed.

Bahamut nodded. "An immortal Emperor and Empress, both wielding power and compassion to guide the generations of this world and your own children down through the ages, should you choose it and be faithful in your walk to the end. This is what I offer."

Gulping softly Arianasa bowed low, her chin nearly scraping the ground. "I would be honored my Lord!" She murmured.

Bahamut nodded and stretched forth his clawed paws. Brilliant silver light washed over her and filled her with divine energy making the Dragon gasp softly. While she had not been granted the changes that Prometheus had gone through during his ascension she could feel the pull of desire within her, like a distant calling she was bound to heed, to have her follow this path of divinity to the end. She also felt her scales and insides become more dense as the protections Bahamut wove strengthened them. Her aura flared, stronger than before before she quickly reigned it in for fear of it frightening the people nearby.

As Bahamut stepped back Pelor moved to stand before Prometheus and Arianasa as Prometheus's form altered itself to its usual dragon form with chrome-edged golden scales.

"The wars that plagued us have been won." Pelor intoned. "Dragons once again roam the skies. The world has passed through fire and death and while it did not emerge unscathed, peace was achieved at great cost. The last decade and a half has been a time of growth, a time of healing, a time of change. Now is the time for wisdom, for guidance, for joinings. We gather here this day to witness the joining of Prometheus, Lord of Technology and Illuminator of Innovation, with Arianasa Darshana, cleric of Bahamut! If any that stand here believe this union should not take place, let them stand and speak now in our presence!"

The silence was all-encompassing for several seconds save for the soft wind blowing through the courtyard.

"So be it then!" Pelor announced. "As both the bride and groom have stated their wishes that this ceremony be conducted without lengthy and grand speeches I will dispense with them. But I shall say this first to both of you.

May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring.

May you need one another, but not out of weakness.

May you want one another, but not out of lack.

May you search for things to praise regarding each other and find them often.

May you always say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.

May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.

May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.

Prometheus, Arianasa. Turn, face each other, and state your intentions. Prometheus may begin first." Pelor concluded.

Prometheus turned to Arianasa and began to speak in soft cadence. "For every shadow cast, a light must first shine. The autumn leaves fall and bring life to the spring. In this moment of time, we find beginning. Let us lay down a new path over the trails our elders walked. Walk with me, let me no longer walk alone. Let our spirits entwine and unite as one, to become whole at last, greater than what we are."

Arianasa replied softly. "Be once and for all mine. Let thy light become as one with mine, that two lines of goodness and nobility become one. A line spanning forwards evermore, but spanning backwards in remembrance. This is merely our Spring, let us live our summers and winters together. Take of mine and let us become as one, twin sapling lovers tied in embrace."

Prometheus nodded as he took his paws in hers, his eyes focused on her own. "Before the gods this I swear: to cherish you in all ways and in every moment we remain together, through times of peace and times of strife, when darkness covers all and when light shines across the land. In times of frailty and times of strength, from this moment onward into eternity."

Arianasa repeated the words Prometheus had spoken with soft reverence, lost in each other's eyes.

Pelor smiled as his body grew in stature and height until he stood higher than the pair of them. Stretching forth his hand so that it hovered over them both, he spoke. "By my authority as Lord of Life I declare the two of you to be joined evermore as one flesh." He declared as a halo of light surrounded the pair of them before flashing brightly and vanishing.

Smiling widely for a moment, the pair kissed deeply as the crowd exploded into a cacophony of cheers and roars of happiness. Across the continent in dozens of temples throngs of the faithful and non-believers alike clapped and cheered in happiness, seeing the two of them on the massive mirrors.

Breaking apart slightly, a moment later the two turned to look up upon the ecstatic crowd.

"People of the realm, I give you your God and Emperor, Prometheus Sunflare and his Empress, Arianasa Darshana Sunflare!" Pelor declared loudly.

The crowd began to roar joyfully and shout their names as the pair stood before them, basking in the adulation as the gods looked on with joy.

* * *

A\N: I spent a lot of time trying to decide whether to do such a large time shift or not. I have never liked time skips in fiction, mainly because they are often used to gloss over difficult or impossible situations to which the author has no answer when they write themselves into a corner (of course character inserts are little better but at least an attempt for resolution is made.) However, in this case, I considered it necessary in order to keep the plot moving and not bog everyone down, otherwise this fic would be several hundred thousand words in length and nothing of significance would have happened yet.


	7. Maiden Voyage

**Chapter 6: Maiden Voyage**

 _1 month later…_

"So what is this thing you're wanting to show me?" Arianasa asked curiously as the pair of them walked side by side through the large frescoed hallways of the palace.

Prometheus smiled in anticipation. "Something that I have been working on for years in my spare time, my dear."

Arianasa smirked at this. "Between running your empire, overseeing your priesthood and your industrial revolution, not to mention spending time with me, I didn't think you had any free time to spare."

"Being a god opens up many avenues of possibility my love." He responded easily. "One such avenue is compartmentalization. My mind has become advanced enough that I can communicate with Davis in real time, which is fractions of a second incidentally, and I also have the ability to partition my mind so that it can focus on multiple things at once without requiring my conscious attention."

"In other words you're just sparing me a little of your attention while you're working on ten other things at once." Arianasa suggested with a pout. "That's hardly a flattering thing to tell your Empress you know."

"Ah, but you have my undivided personal attention." Prometheus riposted with a charming smile. "All the other things I am thinking about right now are, in a sense, background noise, or at worst I spare a moment to consider the final result before making a decision and sending that decision to Beowulf, Davis, or whomever implements it. You are my focus, I promise you."

Arianasa giggled at this. "You know I'm just teasing you."

Prometheus smiled indulgently. "Of course."

"You still haven't told me where we're going." Arianasa said pointedly as the pair walked onto one of the balconies outside the palace.

Prometheus placed a talon gently on Ari's snout, silencing her as he took a moment to enjoy the fresh evening air and looked upward before removing his talon from her mouth.

"Look up and tell me what you see." Prometheus prompted softly.

Looking up quizzically, she gazed at the night sky for several seconds. "I see Celene, the moon. I see the stars."

Prometheus nodded. "Celene is the Elves' name for the moon. It is also known as Kule. Did you know that back in ancient times it is said that a race of beings lived there and built a civilization of their own?"

The silver Dragon glanced at him quizzically. "I never heard that, no. Is is true?"

"The Elves believe it to be true," Prometheus replied with a shrug, "and of all the races they would be the most likely to know the truth."

Arianasa hummed thoughtfully as Prometheus continued. "There are other worlds beyond the moon as well." He said softly. "Oerth is not alone in this region of space. Besides our sun and the moon there are several other worlds as well."

"Why do you tell me this?" She asked curiously.

Prometheus turned to look at her with a smile. "Because it is my wish that you accompany me to see them."

Arianasa blinked in surprise at hearing this. "You what?"

"I intend to visit them all." Prometheus stated. "Such a journey would be long and probably tedious. I would not have you remain here alone while I undertake this journey."

Arianasa frowned. "But surely you are needed here!" She protested quietly. "How will the empire function in your absence, nevermind the priesthood? Without you here to grant prayers and miracles to the faithful…"

"I have spoken with Celestian on this matter before I ever considered this project." He informed her calmly. "The power and influence of the gods extends to the outer reaches of this region of space, including all the planets. Even if I should be at the very edge of the solar system I shall be able to hear my worshippers and communicate with them, even provide assistance if need be. Nor shall I be leaving the people truly alone. As you know an avatar of my being exists at this moment on Earth, functioning as my human self to run my various organizations in my stead. One such will remain here to ensure my people are always protected and that they are able to see me or be near me. Davis will also be accompanying us as this will be a grand expedition and he will not want to miss it. To learn much of alien worlds is something he will not be able to resist."

"And Beowulf?" She asked.

"Beowulf, unfortunately, must remain." Prometheus replied. "He is not one for grand adventures and in any case one of my triumvirate should remain to oversee things. Davis can create duplicate bodies for himself and be in more than one place at a time, as can I. Beowulf cannot and his long absence would be conspicuous. Even still we shall be in constant contact due to my connection with him as High Priest."

Arianasa nodded thoughtfully before a smile of realization appeared on her face. "You're getting bored aren't you?" She asked slyly. "That's why you're doing this, isn't it? You need some new thing, some new adventure to excite you."

Prometheus snorted. "Please, my dear, I have quite enough to occupy my time. Even as a god I do not have time to be bored. Never mind the fact that we have been married for barely a month. That is the greatest adventure I could conceive of." He said with a smile, stroking her cheek with a talon.

Arianasa giggled at this. "You flatterer you." She said coyly.

Prometheus merely smiled before looking back up at the stars. "The last 15 years have been busy ones, helping the various kingdoms repair themselves and helping guide their expansions, not to mention Utopia's. Negotiating contracts for all of the various technological devices we have created and licensed for distribution through Ahlissa's trade networks, not to mention maintaining our own. Building and staffing the new schools and universities across the continent and teaching others about the basics of science and its applications as well as so many other things. I do not grow weary of such things as I once did and yet I find that parts of my humanity still cling to me, finding old notions of seeing new places and new discoveries exciting, the rush of acquiring new prospects. The empire functions well and the council handles many day to day things. Beowulf's priesthood continues to grow as do the number of faithful who dedicate themselves to me, increasing my power and influence in this world. The industrial revolution continues of course, and it will for quite some time, but I have plans to introduce various techniques and technologies when the time is right. Things have finally settled down to a more even keel and I find myself wanting to visit other places for a time."

"I never thought a god would need a vacation." Arianasa teased.

Prometheus chuckled. "Not a vacation in the usual sense, but as much of one as a god can take without abandoning their responsibilities." He took her paws in his. "I would have you come with me on this voyage of discovery, my heart."

Arianasa smiled up at him. "How could I possibly refuse?"

"I was hoping you would say that." Prometheus replied. "Now, allow me to show you how we will be travelling to these places."

Creating a large metallic silver disc beneath their feet he encased them in a bubble of atmosphere. The disc began to rise and soon the pair were rising amidst the clouds. Rising even further the blue of the sky began to fade to purple as the night sky became more and more pronounced. Finally violet and indigo faded to onyx as they rose above the outer edges of the atmosphere, entering space itself. Having never been so high Arianasa gasped in awe at the sight of the planet below her, the continents seemingly small enough to be covered by her paw.

"Incredible!" She whispered. "I never thought I would see something like this!"

"It does give one a sense of perspective does it not?" Prometheus suggested softly, enjoying the view as well. "This is why I prefer to live amongst my subjects and worshipers. From so far away they appear as ants, their lives brief like a candle flame or a vapor, and their actions seemingly insignificant. I would not look upon them that way as some of the other gods do, and yet I knew that, if I remained cloistered in my own realm, I would eventually come to see them as such in the fullness of time. I will not think so little of them for at one time, I to was one of those 'ants'. This view helps to remind me of what I could become if I do not consider the small things as well as the big picture."

Arianasa nodded absently before she looked over at him in confusion. "You say it helps you...you've seen this before?"

Prometheus nodded. "I have spent much time here, overlooking our planet, as I built the thing I intend to show you. It has taken much time and energy but at last it is complete and we shall embark on its maiden voyage." He said as he turned her to look towards the stars.

"Behold!"

Slowly a large structure drifted into view as the sun began to shine over it, dispelling the darkness of space that kept it hidden. The entire edifice was miles wide and constructed of various materials that glinted and shone in the sun; shining skyscrapers of titanium and steel stood next to brass and copper rotundas atop stone and concrete buildings, while spires and other geometric designs done in white and cream, to silver and gold, to onyx and pearl, rose up by the dozens across the massive flat expanse. Here and there she could see green areas filled with grass and trees and in the very center of the entire structure was a huge pyramid of shining silver and gold. As it floated closer she could see the foundation upon which the buildings stood appeared to be a combination of pure white concrete lined with steel and brass. Here and there she could see large statues easily fifty to hundred feet high, carved from stone and shaped to resemble stoic guardians of myth, several with pairs of wings upon their backs, all of them clad in armor and bearing a shield or downward-pointing sword. From the edges of the city extended multiple long and wide ramps that could serve as runways or ramps. Extending from the bottom of the structure were more buildings seemingly pointing downward as well as powerful engine exhaust ports hundreds of feet wide.

The silver Dragon's eyes were wide with shock as she beheld the massive floating city Prometheus had constructed in the isolation of space.

"How…?" She asked, nearly speechless with astonishment.

Prometheus chuckled softly. "Before the Demon War I was forced to 'import' my Terminators from Earth using my company's assets. Once the war concluded I had Davis build several multi-purpose construction facilities in Utopia and elsewhere, with my help of course, to produce Terminators as well as the other trade goods we have been supplying the citizens of Oerth with. When one has an army of workers that can operate in nearly any environment and do not tire, not to mention my own ability to produce advanced technology, all things become possible my dear. After proving that I could insert devices into space above the planet using a series of precise, cascading teleportation spells chained together, the rest was a simple matter. My first experiment involved putting a series of satellites in orbit around the planet to ensure they would be stable and could function properly. These devices could not only scan great distances into space, showing me the existence of the other planets in this system, but they can also be used to observe what happens on Oerth as it is happening as well as provide powerful communication capabilities."

"Why don't they fall to the ground?" Arianasa asked in slight confusion. "Are you using levitation enchantments to hold them up?"

"The satellites have a few glyphs like that should they begin to fall and the entire city structure is covered with levitation runes and glyphs, yes. But at the moment they are not active." Prometheus explained. "In simple terms, this far away from the planet gravity does not exist."

"To continue," he said, "once the main foundation of the city was constructed it was simply a matter of building up as well as down. The entire structure was planned down to the smallest detail to help ensure it is a model of efficiency and organized design."

"The design of the buildings…" she muttered thoughtfully, "I have never seen such things before except perhaps by masterpieces made by the Dwarves. They speak of precision and strength as well as...symmetry. Some of the statues show powerful figures holding up great globes. Why is this?" She asked, puzzled.

Prometheus smiled indulgently at her inquisitiveness. "Over a century ago on the world from which I came, there arose a peculiar form of artistic design after the first world war. It was called 'Deco', though the name naturally means little to you. It used streamlined and geometric forms that were pleasing to the eye in order to create a sense of order and power. The world prior that time had been using machines and mechanical devices to a limited degree but the artists at that time, seeing the primitive technologies of the time flourish, were inspired by what humankind could create in such a short span of time. They envisioned a future of human supremacy based on these new ways of doing things more efficiently and with less effort, hence the statues with the globes; humankind would hold the planet in its hands using its new inventions and machines to control it. Technology, geometry, mathematical precision, and straight lines were their future, each extolling the brilliance of the human mind and its ability to create such wonders as well as understand such profound mathematical truths, for no other race on the planet had accomplished what they had. Thus the artists went about creating lavish and stylized works as simple as pyramidal mechanical clocks to tall structures such as you see before you made of glass and steel. All of it seemingly in preparation for the glorious age that was to come. Sadly, within two decades a second world war erupted and the artists ceased their creations. However, the intention and symbolism struck me as poignant, even as a young man, and now with my status as Lord of Technology it seemed eminently suitable that I take up such designs again as the Earth will in time enjoy the glorious age those artists once envisioned."

"And the pyramid?" Arianasa asked. "I presume that is your temple or palace given it's location and its radiance. Your palace on Oerth seems much more grand compared to this plain design."

"You have not yet seen the inside." Prometheus remarked in amusement. "But I have been considering many things these past years, especially what I wish to represent when I return to Earth, as I shall. The pyramid has always been a symbol of power to the ancient peoples of my world and even today it is considered so. However, I do not use its shape merely to tout my own glory. The pyramid also represents ascension from a more base mode of existence to the highest level of self-actualization one can accomplish. I have, in essence, reached the pinnacle of existence for while I can increase my sphere of influence and powers with more followers there is nothing higher than godhood." He explained. "I have been a catalyst for change and self-improvement on Oerth, I wish to be the same for others as well: an animus or a driving force that allows them to rise from their current stations in life and become all that they can be!" He said in a soft, inspired tone, his eyes gazing into the future.

"You will accomplish your desires my love!" Arianasa assured him with soft reverence. "I cannot imagine it would be otherwise."

Prometheus turned to look at her with a smile and kissed her face softly.

"You speak the truth as always my dearest. And what I have created here will allow me to realize that vision." He said as he raised his hand, turning back to the city. Suddenly the entirety of the structure was encased in an iridescent bubble.

"The Infinity Drive." He said as Arianasa looked on in silent wonder. "The core of Darlana's ship, allowing it to not only travel between dimensional realms but to maintain its own bubble of local laws of reality and existence, even in universes where such laws would be impossible or even hostile. Once I understood how it functioned I was able to create a much bigger version of it. It, and several other independent backups, sit at the heart of the city, buried deep beneath the ground and behind walls of magic and other physical barriers as well. The engines, inertial barriers, guidance systems, even weapons and defenses, all were created by myself and my Terminators over a period of years. We completed the last of the construction and runes a few weeks ago and have been running tests constantly. All it needs now are people to fill it for its maiden voyage."

"And you plan to travel to these other worlds with it." She muttered quietly.

Prometheus nodded, his face becoming more serious. "These worlds and others when the time is right. Our empire will extend beyond the stars my love, and you shall be the Empress of Mercy to them all."

Arianasa looked out among the stars in the vast distance, lost in the wonder of it as Prometheus laid his hand on her shoulder, the silence more eloquent than any words.

* * *

 _A few days later…_

Beowulf and Prometheus stood in the room which housed Davis's main body in the depths of the palace, waiting for Arianasa to arrive. As they waited Beowulf took a moment to reflect on the changes made to the machine over the years. Soon after the Demon War Davis had created a new, more permanent version of himself to reside within the palace. His original body still existed and was occasionally upgraded as the ability to travel between the dimensions at will, not to mention having mobility in general, was still extremely useful. However, given the fact that the machine rarely left the palace these days as well as the fact that the empire's data analytical requirements had increased many times as it expanded to include not only new territories to be monitored but also keeping track of the various breakthroughs and bureaucracies that came into being, even his powerful processors had not been enough to keep track of them all. When the room and its equipment had come online, Davis had shed the mechanical Terminator body he had used over the years, considering it outdated at that point. Prometheus had, at the machine's request, created and installed a combination of discrete high definition holographic projectors and directed sound systems in every room and area of the palace. This allowed Davis to project a perfect real-time solid image of himself anywhere inside the palace which included having his voice projected in the proper direction, Davis's main intelligence was now housed in a large segmented geodesic orb built into the floor that stood over 12 feet high and twice that in circumference. Surrounding it was a server farm of several dozen supercomputers linked together and to him by dedicated hardlines that allowed virtually instantaneous communication between them, allowing each of the machines to work in parallel with each other. The massive amount of raw processing power he had access to allowed him to perform deep level data analysis as well as creating extremely complex and robust simulations, allowing him to run various scenarios based on the state of the various kingdoms on the continent as well as other possible events.

A copy of Heaven's Light, Davis's ethically programmed counterpart on Earth, had also been installed as a separate module later on. While Davis had had his own set of 'ethics' programmed into him by the Human Resistance on the world he came from, they merely prevented him from acting against humanity and its best interests, ensuring that the machine would never return to its original directives and go on a rampage. Heaven's Light's programming had been much more comprehensive and detailed, have been created by Prometheus when he had been the human Asher Walters on Earth along with a number of ethicists and expert programmers he had hired. The Heaven's Light module had been installed as a compromise to help ensure Davis's good behavior without his will being subsumed into Prometheus's, thus denying him some of his free will. Like a human conscience it's recommendations could be ignored if he chose unless he attempted to go beyond the bounds of his dictated programming and attempt something that would be completely antithetical to Prometheus's goals or his own coded restrictions. Thankfully Davis had mostly chosen to go along with Heaven's Light's recommendations as they were not only based on ethics but also had a logical or utilitarian reason for following them that the machine could accept as reasonable.

Beowulf was quite sure that the machine had been sorely tempted to kill him many times over the years and would have gladly done so if not for those original bindings and the ones that were installed later.

A moment later Arianasa thumped into the room in her dragon form, squeezing through the slightly small door.

"Well then, everyone is here." She said. "Would you mind telling me why we are meeting down here like this, love? I find it rather silly, as if we were a bunch of children plotting to play a prank on our elders, especially considering you can speak to us mentally."

Prometheus smiled in amusement. "I suppose it is a bit overdone but there are times that I prefer to speak face to face in privacy."

"I have been transporting Terminators to the city using a portal between here and the city's palace." He stated as he stretched forth a clawed paw that glowed with silver and gold light. "The time to depart is nearly upon us and so the time has come for the final pieces to be placed upon the board."

As he spoke power from his hand coalesced near them into an amorphous form before refining itself into the form of a dragon. As the light began to fade the figure became more and more detailed until a perfect replica of Prometheus stood there, glancing about at them.

"My Avatar will take my place while we are gone." The duplicate stated. "While he does not have my full power he is me in every respect and any thought that is known to one is immediately known to the other. Thus shall I rule my empire in my absence."

"You mentioned that Beowulf could not come along." Arianasa said. "It didn't occur to me at the time but I cannot create duplicates of myself either, except for simple illusions. Surely I will be missed as well."

"I will provide excuses as to why you are not seen regularly at the palace." The avatar said. "You could easily be summoned by the Council of Wyrms to help train others in becoming clerics of Bahamut or something similar."

Prometheus nodded. "That sounds plausible."

"If you have no further need of me I shall take my place in court." The avatar said. "It would not do for me to be gone too long."

Prometheus nodded and his double thumped out of the room, leaving them alone. Beowulf turned to look at Prometheus.

"I know in my soul that your avatar is an extension of yourself and that you can speak through it." He said wistfully. "Even still, I feel as though we are saying goodbye for a while. It is difficult for me to recall a time when I was not by your side. It is...unsettling." He admitted with a winsome look before looking over at Arianasa. "I shall miss your presence as well, my Empress."

Prometheus smiled gently at this as he projected strength into his voice. " **Do not fear and do not pine, my brother. I shall be with you in all ways that matter. The connection we share shall never be broken.** " He insisted as he sent comforting emotions down the link the two shared, strengthening Beowulf's spirit and filling his heart with joy. The Gnoll's eyes misted over at the powerful support he received from his god, his insides feeling as though they were filled with brilliant light.

"Thank you Alpha!" He murmured huskily, wiping his eyes to clear them.

Prometheus smiled gently at this. "Come now, join me in court as you always do. Before you realize it you will forget your anxiety and continue on as you always have. This is not goodbye or farewell, merely a change in perspective."

Bowing to Prometheus in thanks the Gnoll departed.

"Are you ready to depart Davis?" Prometheus asked.

"Quantum Entanglement Communication system is online...my alternative systems at the city are fully functional and reporting no errors. Core intelligence files and all ancillary data storage syncs are complete. Cross checking data integrity...reporting no data corruption or mismatched files. I'm ready to go."

"Good." Prometheus replied. "We will see you there shortly."

Gesturing for Ari to follow him, Prometheus strode out of the room and over to a guarded elevator, the pair of them transforming into their human forms in order to fit as the guards saluted them both. Stepping into the elevator, the interior covered in golden metal, Prometheus pressed a stud on the control panel. The compartment descended several floors before opening. The pair stepped into the hallway and moved towards one of the heavy bulkhead doors which opened at his mental command. Against the back wall sat a large archway of white and silver metal with a control panel nearby. Multiple armed Terminators stood about the room and another stood before the controls, manipulating them. Suddenly a flood of power surged over and around the archway before coalescing in the center as swirling mass of violet and blue energy.

"Step through and we shall arrive." Prometheus said with a smile as gestured for her to accompany him through the gateway. A moment of disorientation and they were through, the steel and stone walls giving way to onyx with elaborate brass overlays. Soft lighting was set into the ceiling and the floor was a continuous strip of chrome-like metal. The large hermetically sealed bulkhead before them unsealed with a hiss before sliding open smoothly, revealing another corridor in onx, copper, and chrome.

Arianasa smiled as they traveled down the corridor. "You styled this place after the scales of Dragonkind."

"Indeed, although that was not the only reason for choosing a metallic theme." Prometheus remarked. "The art style I mentioned to you before was done predominantly in metal and expensive stone."

Entering the elevator at the end of the corridor they swiftly ascended before the doors opened with a quiet hiss. As the pair stepped out the doors closed behind them and a large statue just to the right of the doors slid back into place with a quiet grind of gears, perfectly concealing the elevator's existence.

"We are now in the temple proper.." Prometheus informed her as he guided her down the statue-lined and high-arched hallway,

Arianasa looked about, marvelling at the intricate designs set into the jade and onyx walls from simple horizontal motion lines to intricate intersecting straight lines that curled at ninety degree angles back onto each other. The lamps set into the walls consisted of rising segmented fans of frosted crystal and glass atop a base of brass or gold.

"How were you able to obtain such stone as this?" She asked. "The amount alone…"

Prometheus chuckled at this. "Ah my dear, I am nothing if not efficient. To dig up such quantities of stone and metal, refine it, and bring it here would be exorbitant even for me. Observe." He said as he stretched out a claw and created a slash in the wall, his claw tip coming away covered in dull metal. As Arianasa watched the wall repaired itself.

"The entire structure is composed of nanites and dense building materials." He explained. "Thus, not only can it repair and clean itself, but if need be I can change the interior as I see fit." He explained.

"Brilliant." She said with a smile.

"They have various other functions as well though I see no need to dwell on them." He remarked blandly. "But suffice to say I control all that goes on within my own temple."

"Come." He said, guiding her down another hallway that led to the exterior wall of the temple on the ground floor. The massive overlapping panes of transparent material that made up the exterior wall allowed her to see into the city beyond as well as the vast dark vista of space above their heads, the Infinity Drive's transduction barrier a faint glow in the background.

"I thought these were made of silver or chrome." Ari remarked. "How is it we see through them clearly?"

"These panels are made of something much stronger than glass my dear. As for the visual effect, it is similar to how a two way mirror works." Prometheus replied. "There is an ultra thin silver coating on one side that reflects half the light away from the surface, thus the silver translucent effect on the outside, yet we can see clearly through it on the opposite side which has no such coating."

Walking along the corridor lit by the light of Oerth's sun he continued to point out various pieces of architecture before moving into the main entrance hall. Stepping into the room the silver Dragon looked about. The massive space was easily fifty feet high and thirty feet wide, done in elegant wood and onyx, the floor a single continuous slab of glazed tan porcelain tile with darker brown lines that seemed to flow from the entrance doors to the back wall. Smooth pillars of red marble edged the room at regular intervals with panels of gold and brass in between them, each panel a masterwork of intricate design. Some displayed Prometheus in his human form, dressed in armor and bearing a sword and shield while others displayed his dragon form in a regal position. Other panels showed complex geometric tracings or sunbursts while a few captured the muscular human form holding a radiating sun or planet in their hands. The ceiling was arched and seemingly made of gold panels with silver edgings from which hung rectangular lanterns. Against the left wall stood a life sized statue of Prometheus as a dragon in gold metal while on the opposite side, standing easily ten feet tall. was his human form, once again in armor and armed, this time done in silver. The back wall consisted of a massive segmented portal of chrome with gold-paneled doors inlaid with a perfect orb in the center, bisected by the doors themselves with lines radiating from it. Leading Arianasa through the doors they came to the main worship area.

The large room was split into two sections, the front half extending forward with an arched ceiling while the rear was more rounded and wider. Along the walls at regular intervals a series of bronze and brass buttresses inlaid with straight-edged designs rose up from the floor before tapering off near the top of the ceiling. At the apex of the rounded area of the room the center consisted of a massive circle of clear crystal, allowing light to filter down from higher levels of the pyramid, the area around it sheathed in gold. Lanterns hung from the buttresses creating a long oval pattern above, the smooth floor a mix of burnished gold and brass with exotic and flowing patterns. A pair of winged and wide rising walkways covered in tan carpet with a long metal banister flowed around the sides of the round area before rising up even higher and moving back the way they came, allowing others to view the proceedings from higher up on multiple levels while the ground floor widened to accommodate a large crowd.

"When light streams in from the opening in the ceiling it will shine down upon whomever is speaking at the rear." Prometheus mentioned.

"How appropriate." Arianasa replied with a smile.

"Come, let us adjourn to my throne room." He suggested. "The tour can continue once we are under way."

Leading her back to the main room one of the panels between the pillars split apart to reveal an elevator, the inside made of black marble and dark wood.

"Level 2." Prometheus stated and the elevator began to rise.

"Your throne room isn't at the top of the pyramid?" Arianasa teased.

Prometheus smiled in amusement. "I have no intention of making my followers travel to the top of this massive building simply to meet with me. Besides, that would be too obvious a target if we came under attack."

The silver Dragon snorted. "Only you would worry about someone targeting you as your are now. I think Davis has been rubbing off on you."

"I resent that remark." Davis's voice replied snidely from a grill in the ceiling, making the female Dragon look up in surprise.

The elevator chimed a moment later, allowing them to exit. Walking down the exterior corridor they turned right at a large segmented doorway with a pair of silver doors covered with engravings of Prometheus's symbols. The room within was wide at the entrance and converged to the rear at the end making the throne its natural focal point. The floor was done in black with complex geometric figures and lines in gold inlaid into it except for a gold-lined straight path that bisected the room, leading directly to the throne. Upon the walls were crimson tapestries that held more shapes such as diamonds, straight lines, angles, sunbursts, and more in golden thread. Before the throne, inset into the ceiling and the floor, were more crystal circles, creating the effect of a shaft of light just in front of it. The throne itself was thin but high and made entirely of gold with white cushions on the seat and arms. The backrest of the throne done in the design of a fan with segmented rectangles, its highest segment in the center with the rest pointing upwards and away from it, each segment covered in complex designs.

"No seat for me?" Arianasa asked loftily with a teasing smile.

Prometheus smiled. "I have not forgotten my love." He said as he gestured.

The throne immediately slid to the left and another throne of a similar design but made of silver and with more graceful lines rose from the floor so that the two were side by side.

"Much better!" Arianasa replied happily as she walked up to the silver throne and seated herself on it. "Won't you join me?" She asked in arrogant amusement.

Shaking his head with a chuckle Prometheus moved to the back of the room and seated himself on the throne.

"I believe I could get used this." The silver Dragon said with a sigh.

"No doubt." Prometheus said with a smile before looking up at the ceiling. "Davis, I trust everything is in order?"

"The Terminators all report readiness and are at their stations." Davis reported through another pair of grilled speakers nearby. "All systems are green and the Infinity Drive is stable. We are ready to depart."

"Where are we going?" Arianasa asked him.

"Celene." Prometheus stated. "I would see our moon first. After that the other planets as well as near to the sun as we can get. I would know this entire region and what it holds." Reaching down next to the throne he placed an ornate crown of silver, gold, and gems on his head, the stones immediately beginning to glow with power.

"Let us away then!" Prometheus declared with a hint of excitement in his voice as his eyes sparkled. "First star on the right and straight on till morning!" He declared, quoting from Peter Pan.

Jets on the sides of the superstructure began to fire gouts of blue flame and the entire city shuddered slightly before slowly starting to move away from Oerth.


	8. To Boldly Go

**Chapter 7: To Boldly Go...**

Prometheus stood within the apex of the pyramid, watching in silence with his hands clasped behind him as Oerth's moon grew ever closer. Arianasa had decided to wander about the pyramid a bit before joining him as this room was the tallest in the floating city, allowing for an amazing view. The center of the room held a massive spherical crystal filled with magical energy, making it glow white as it slowly turned. It was this crystal that allowed the consistent light beam to shine down through the center of the pyramid illuminating, among other things, the area just in front of his throne room as well as the public worship area on the main floor he had shown Arianasa earlier. While the tip of the pyramid was sheathed in gold he could easily make the top transparent, allowing nature sunlight to filter through the crystal and down into the massive tube that ran down the center of the structure, the crystal providing enough energy that the light's diffusion on each floor would not prevent it from reaching the bottom floor before dying out. The crystal had various other uses of course but at the moment illumination was all it was needed for.

The elevator on the other side of the room chimed quietly before its bronze doors opened, revealing his mate as she stepped out, looking about at the room and eying the crystal curiously before moving towards him.

"So this is what's at the top." She mused. "It's quite lovely." Moving next to Prometheus she studied the moon before her. "How long will it take us to get there?" She asked. "From what little I know of astronomy the distances are quite great."

"Approximately ten million miles." Prometheus agreed easily with a nod. "A vast distance indeed."

The fey woman's eyes widened comically at this pronouncement. "Ten _million_ miles?" She asked in shock. "But it will take decades to reach it, centuries even!" She exclaimed in dismay. "How can we-"

"It will not take as long as you think." Prometheus assured her with a knowing smile. "Considering we are travelling at a speed of approximately twenty million miles per hour, we should reach Celene shortly." He said dryly.

The woman's knees nearly gave out at that statement, causing Prometheus to reach over in order to keep her balance.

"How?" She could only ask weakly.

"Partially because of the Infinity Drive and partially because of a combination of science and magic." He explained as he turned towards the moon. "Darlana's people are an advanced race, scientifically and magically. After absorbing the data core of her ship's computer, a repository of knowledge if you will, I learned much about not only about her ship and how it functions, but also about other technological and magical devices that they use. One such device, which apparently is used by other civilizations beyond our world, is called a Spelljamming helm. In essence it allows special ships to traverse the void between worlds and even between various dimensions."

"But you, or at least Davis, can already do that." Arianasa said, puzzled.

"This is true to a certain extent but Davis does have his limits." Prometheus replied. "He is able to travel between dimensions easily but he can only travel to a destination he is already aware of. He cannot simply 'point' in a certain direction and go to see what he finds. To do so would be extremely hazardous for him. Of course, I am speaking very broadly, the more precise details would not make sense to you."

The woman arched an eyebrow at this. "Try me." She said in a slightly challenging tone.

Prometheus smiled. "Very well. Technically speaking Davis is aware of the multidimensional coordinates for specific parallel universal phase-spaces thus allowing him to travel from our dimensional pocket to my original universe and back as well as the alternate Earth he was created upon. However, he cannot simply phase across dimensions in any specific direction; it is not like flying across the sky. While remaining in the same position he must transcend multiple dimensional phase-spaces in order to ascend to the higher order planes which allow not only for dimension travel across similar space-time variants with similar universal constants but also dimensions with different universal laws and requirements. From this nine-dimensional framework he would have to then locate the proper dimensional series of existences before paring them down to locate the specific time-space continuum he wished to access before descending from the multiversal nexus to normal four dimensional space-time. Given the nearly infinite number of potential space-time variants he would need to search through if he were attempting to locate a single universe manually, using multi-dimensional coordinates is essential. Is that clear?" He asked in amusement.

"As clear as a storm cloud." She remarked sarcastically.

Prometheus nodded. "Quite. Spelljamming, on the other hand, is rather different. One makes use of a Spelljamming helm to inject magical energy into a system whereby it is converted into thrust, allowing one to traverse the void. The more power one has at one's disposal, the further they can travel without a rest. The helm and the system combined allow one to travel extraordinarily fast in order to cross the vast distances between worlds. Spelljammers have a top speed of about four million miles per hour." Prometheus explained.

"Thinking about that still threatens to make me fall on my tail." She remarked.

"Indeed." Prometheus said with a smile. "To continue, Darlana's ship uses a kind of warp drive they reverse-engineered for their own use. I, in turn, was able to reverse engineer their warp drive so that I might create something similar for our use. While I did not have the means to recreate it perfectly I was able to create a version that can convert the energy collected by the Spelljammer helm to a more refined form before returning it to the engines, allowing us to travel faster than a normal Spelljammer ship."

"Where does the magical energy come from?" She asked curiously. "The crystal?"

"The crystal could be used for such a function, yes." He said. "But currently all of the power comes from myself. I will admit the helm functions slightly differently than a normal one but then this is not a normal ship. To make a normal ship that weighs several tons fly like this requires the entire magical potential of a single wizard of sufficient strength. Normally a city of this size is many thousands of tons in weight. Even a series of archmages working in tandem would be sucked dry trying to move an entire city of this size and still not move it an inch. However, given my status as a god, I have an incredible amount of power at my disposal. The Infinity Drive and the runic system helps to keep the city virtually weightless which in turn ensures the city can move much more quickly that it otherwise could. I could move the city without them, of course, but it would take far more power to do so."

As they watched the moon incrementally grew larger and closer in their view until it took up almost all of their view.

"Geosynchronous orbit with Celene has been achieved." Davis reported to them through the speakers set into the wall. "No life signs in detected in the local area below. No atmosphere detected. We can depart at your leisure."

"Shall we?" Prometheus asked with a smile.

The silver Dragon nodded and the two of them took the elevator to the bottom floor where Davis and a large squad of Terminators stood ready.

"Unfortunately my Lady, you will not be able to accompany us." Davis said regretfully. "Without atmospheric pressure to keep your bodily fluids stable you would expire within minutes."

"Dare I ask what that means?" Arianasa asked.

"It means that an atmosphere is necessary to keep your blood from boiling you alive from the inside." Prometheus remarked. "Air and the other gases that make up the atmosphere increase pressure on your body to keep your blood and other fluids stable and where they are supposed to be. Without it water and other liquids like your blood boil at very low temperatures and any air inside your lungs would be sucked out immediately. As my body is composed of more exotic matter and a Terminator's body does not require such things, we should be fine."

Arianasa nodded. "I understand. Do tell me all about it though."

"We will record everything." Prometheus assured her before kissing her cheek and bidding her farewell. As Prometheus walked towards the waiting shuttle nearby Davis began walking alongside him.

"The planet is tidally locked so we will be viewing the side that faces Oerth first." Davis informed him. "Long range scans indicated the other side of the moon has been blasted by tens of thousands of meteor strikes sometime in the distant past. Ironically it appears that the civilization that existed here built their cities within and on top of those craters. We'll send Terminators there to scout of course as well as do surface scans and other tests to see if there's anything useful beneath the crust as well as whether anything is left in the cities."

"Is there any chance of recreating the atmosphere?" Prometheus asked.

"Not without a massive terraforming project which we don't have the capability for at this point." Davis replied. "The Terminators would be able to make use of the planet, of course, but no living being could reside here for long unless we set up habitations with their own oxygen production and atmospheric pressure regulators."

Prometheus shook his head. "That would be rather too risky at this point I think."

The group came to the shuttle waiting nearby, the craft a simple and clean white color with a boxy body and stubby wings with engines on either side of the rear hatch. Entering the hatch Davis made his way to the pilot's seat while Prometheus sat down in one of the soft seats provided for the Emperor and Empress while the Terminators stood at attention along the walls. A few moments later the shuttle shuddered before lifting upward into the air, flying forward and into the city's sky, passing between the tips of various buildings. Flying beyond the Infinity Drive's barrier, normal space exerted itself on the craft, making it shudder slightly as Davis compensated. The craft quickly flew towards the darker side of the moon while Oerth hung in the distance like a blue and white marble that slowly rotated. Having no atmosphere the shuttle was able to quickly approach the planetoid with Davis reorienting the shuttle as the moon's gravity asserted itself.

 _We're scanning Celene as we go in order to try and locate more of the ancient ruins._ Davis notified him.

As the shuttle flew over the dark blue barren landscape they eventually drew near to a large cluster of broken buildings.

 _Setting down._ Davis notified him, the shuttle landing with a _thump_ a few moments later with the roar of maneuvering thrusters.

As the rear hatch opened the air in the rear area of the vehicle escaped with a large burst of sound before the pressures equalized, the Terminators shifting slightly at the change. Rising from his seat Prometheus stepped out of the shuttle and onto the barren ground.

 _That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind._ Prometheus sent to Davis with a hint of amusement.

 _At least you didn't screw up the line like Neil Armstrong did._ Davis remarked.

The Terminators began to disembark from the shuttle as Prometheus gazed about. The barren ground was devoid of any kinds of life and was a greyish-white the color of dust. Davis bent down and collected a chunk before rubbing it against his fingers.

 _Seems to have the consistency and texture of coal._ He remarked. _Surface temperature is about thirty-seven degrees Celsius._

 _Or one hundred degrees Fahrenheit._ Prometheus mused. _A tad warm._

 _Considering the nature of this moon the temperatures must vary quite a bit. If it's this hot on the side facing away from the sun, how much warmer will it be on the opposite side?_ Davis wondered.

 _We may have the dubious pleasure of watching Terminators melt like popsicles._ Prometheus remarked snarkily.

 _Very droll._ Davis replied flatly. _Buildings up ahead._

Prometheus nodded as the group made their way to the ruined structures nearby, the silence absolute. The broken buildings were made of smooth and dark chiseled stone. They were apparently once quite beautiful given the various damaged archways and the variety of shapes that littered the ground. Plinths and columns were strewn about haphazardly while other buildings, many having been several stories tall at one point, leaned treacherously to one side. Coming to a building where the bottom floor was mostly intact he examined the size and shape of the curved door frame.

 _Roughly humanoid in height and width._ Prometheus considered. _Not conclusive certainly but rather telling._

Stepping inside they found the floor to be made of simple smoothed stone with various tables and chairs in various states of disrepair. The interior walls covered with a rust colored coating. Moving to another room they found the remains of what appeared to be a food preparation area with long tables and bare cabinets along the walls. Another doorway led into a small area that appeared to be a bathroom complete with a damaged receptacle for waste that was, thankfully, empty. Leaving the building they wandered between them carefully, the ancient roads that had connected them long destroyed. As they made their way between the structures they appeared to change from simple houses and other dwellings to more ornate and wider structures, the walls have more fanciful designs inscribed upon them.

 _I've been doing some scans of the various buildings and the damage to them._ Davis said. _Interestingly a lot of the damage isn't from simple entropy or structural weakness due to the time frame between then and now. Also, these structures have not eroded as much as we might have expected if the atmosphere bled off slowly over time._

 _In other words this is not the product of simply millions of years of natural erosion taking its toll._ Prometheus mused. _Are you suggesting that the damage is artificial in origin?_

 _It certainly appears that way._ Davis replied. _It's almost as if some massive force collided with the buildings at some point._

 _Bombardment from cannon or missile fire perhaps?_ Prometheus asked.

 _Nothing so mundane._ Davis replied. _The damage is almost perfectly consistent with a specific height across all the structures. The first floors of the buildings are mostly intact but second floor and beyond there's nothing left intact except for the ruins around us. Any kind of bombardment would leave haphazard building destruction based on differences in blast radius and payload strength. It's almost like a giant arm swept across the entire city and knocked the upper areas of all the buildings down. There's something else that puzzles me as well._

Prometheus raised an eyebrow at this. _It's not often that you are puzzled my friend. Do tell._

 _The bodies._ The Terminator said succinctly.

Prometheus frowned before looking around. _I do not see any bodies here._

 _Exactly._ Davis confirmed. _Even after this kind of time frame you would still find fossilized or mummified remains since there's no oxygen or bacteria to initiate the decaying process. Bones, mainly, or at least parts of them if munitions of some kind were used. Even when nuclear weapons are utilized there's still some remains that aren't vaporized in the outlying areas beyond the immediate blast zone. The other Terminators have been scanning the ground of this entire area and there's no bones or fossils anywhere, no organic substances of any kind. If this place was bombarded or attacked some remains would have been left behind._

 _It is entirely possible that the people were evacuated before the attack began or the bodies were disposed of afterwards._ Prometheus suggested.

Davis made a hum of disagreement. _Given the radius of the area as a whole as well as the number of buildings, this city was designed to hold several hundred thousand people. Unless they left well in advance of any attack, which usually doesn't happen in war, they should have left something behind._

 _That would also rule out any sort of natural catastrophe._ Prometheus said. _Some massive earthquake or eruption. I also sense lingering traces of magical energy around the buildings. For those traces to exist for this long the stone itself must have been absolutely infused with energy at one time._

 _A magical war then? Or perhaps a magical calamity that engulfed the city suddenly?_ Davis asked.

 _Possibly, though it still does not explain the lack of bodies. Perhaps after the calamity occurred the people were able to migrate away from the city or even the planet itself. It could also explain what happened to the atmosphere if it was destabilized enough by what happened. We will need to examine the other side of the planet as well for comparison._ Prometheus continued. _Tell me, what are your thoughts about making use of this planet. Assuming the orbital bombardment of asteroids infused the planet with various metals, it could be useful for mining purposes._

 _More than that, I think._ Davis said thoughtfully. _We have here a seemingly empty void world that no living being can stand on. Terminators have no such weaknesses. Once we do a little bit of sculpting to make the ground level and rebuild the structures we could have the makings of a mining colony and forge world run by Terminators alone. With enough raw materials and machinery the output could be immense. If need be we could create structures with their own pressurized atmosphere for laser welding or other high temperature construction purposes._

Prometheus nodded. _I will want this planet scanned thoroughly before any such project is begun and I will need to know the details before I approve it._ He told Davis.

 _Certainly._ The machine replied.

The group walked through the large city for another hour, cataloging what objects they found and taking more samples before eventually returning to the shuttle. Lifting off into the air again they flew perpendicular to the planet, circling around to the opposite side. The entire solar side of the planet was brilliantly lit and pockmarked with thousands upon thousands of asteroid strikes from tiny in size to several that were nearly a kilometer across. As pictures of the surface appeared on the screens around them Prometheus was surprised to see largely intact buildings situated on the edge of and even within the various craters like a collection of dispersed city-states.

 _I trust you are seeing what I am seeing?_ He asked Davis in slight amazement

 _If you're seeing a series of nearly intact buildings upon and inside the craters, then yes_. Davis replied. _I must say I did not expect them to be this intact._

 _Neither did I._ Prometheus replied. _It makes one wonder just when these structures were built and how given the devastation surrounding them. Such destruction on such a massive scale would surely have destroyed any plant life in the past and transporting such goods across the planet would have been extremely expensive and time consuming._

 _Presuming they used similar methods to the way such things were done on Oerth, perhaps._ Davis remarked thoughtfully. _But it's entirely possible they were able to utilize magic on a grand scale to help facilitate transportation of goods and services. Recall that the buildings still had magical residue on them even after all that time. If such magical saturation was common then it's possible these people were able to leech building materials from the soil to create their structures and teleport food to wherever it was needed._

Prometheus hummed in thought as the shuttle circled one of the cities that was built on the rim and into the walls of one of the massive craters. Touching down on one of the larger flat areas near the city the group disembarked and began walking towards it. The massive buildings were all several stories high and built of white stone in a vaguely Arabian style with large arches, balconies, and domed roofs abounding. The Terminators collected various weather-beaten artifacts like stone cups and bowls as well as various other curios that were lying about while Prometheus and Davis examined the architecture and the rooms themselves.

 _Solid stone, no sign of any technology in use or obvious magical constructions._ Prometheus muttered mentally to Davis as he looked about one of the upper level floors. _These buildings appear to have escaped the calamity that brought down the upper floors of the buildings on the other side of the planet. Any ideas?_

 _Only conjecture and too many to list._ Davis replied stoically. _These cities might be the ones that instigated the attack on the others in the first place or they could be an entirely different civilization unconnected to what was going on. The previous cities could have done themselves in and these groups were able to live peacefully. The architecture looks rather different as well which suggests a different society rather than an offshoot. Still, that doesn't mean the two couldn't be in conflict with each other. I'll have the Terminators search through all the ruins but without some kind of records we're shooting in the dark._

 _I have found the lack of records rather curious, though I suppose time and the loss of atmosphere would have destroyed them._ Prometheus remarked.

 _Most likely._ Davis agreed. _If anyone knows who they were it would probably be the Elves._

 _I suppose I shall have to have a chat with their god Larethian one day._ Prometheus mused.

The pair spent several more hours going from building to building and even dropping down partway into the crater to investigate the structures there as well. Unfortunately they found little beyond ancient pottery and empty homes. Returning to the shuttle, Davis lifted off with Prometheus and the Terminators in tow, swiftly returning to the city. As the shuttle touched down they were met by Arianasa who looked on expectantly.

"Well? Tell me about your adventure!" She said with an excited look.

"Hardly an adventure." Prometheus said with a smile as he disembarked. "We examined the ruins of two ancient cities but that was about the extent of it. Given the mysteries of the place we were not able to come to any definitive conclusions about what happened to the former residents. Perhaps we shall learn more in time with a more in-depth study. But for the moment all we did was take some samples and record the buildings."

Prometheus focused his senses outward as he began to commune with one of the many groups of Terminators located within the city. _Take a medium range shuttle and return to the moon below with sufficient supplies to set up a temporary base. You will then perform a detailed and comprehensive geological and geographical study. Mark and catalog any civilization remnants you find there but do not disturb anything. Commune with me if any of you feel it necessary, especially if you should, for some reason, find intelligent life there._

The group of fifty machines acknowledged his orders and immediately began to gather materials for the trip from the various warehouses and storage areas located throughout the city. Within an hour they had filled the larger shuttlecraft with large storage containers full of equipment before embarking onto the craft and taking off from the landing pad.

"Hopefully nothing will happen to them." Ari said a bit pensively as she watched them take off.

"They have enough gear to ensure their safety if something has somehow survived on that moon for this long." Prometheus assured her. "It would take an actual assault force of considerable strength to overwhelm them. They are in more danger from a building falling on them or an earthquake occurring. Let us move on to the next world, it will give them enough time to survey much of the planet before we return for them."

Returning to the pyramid Prometheus entered his throne room before seating himself and placing the jeweled helm upon his head. Injecting more power into the engines the city began to move once more, sluggishly building up speed before accelerating to a small fraction of lightspeed, Celene leaping away from them. A moment later hidden projectors in the walls illuminated the area in front of them, creating a real time image of the moon's departure before turning about to see the "front" of the city, the stars in the distance slowly shifting position as they moved.

"Where are we headed next?" Ari asked.

"The planet Raenei, also known as Luna by the Elves." Prometheus replied. "Fortunately its orbit is bringing it fairly close so it will not take long. The others, I fear, will take more time as their orbits put them further away, some on the opposite side of Oerth and our current path."

True to his word the Emperor's city approached Raenei within an hour, seen from the throne room projectors as a blue-white sphere. As the city slowed its powerful sensors began to scan the planet below.

"Nickel-iron molten core with a mantle and thin crust similar to Oerth." Davis reported through the speakers as a rotating image of the planet appeared before them. "Dense atmosphere nearly identical to Oerth's as well. No indication of previous or current volcanic activity which is a plus. There's a powerful magnetosphere in place around the planet due to its core meaning that compass navigation is possible. Surface scans show mostly dry land with two major oceans, one in each hemisphere. There's about 250 square miles of desert located in the northern hemisphere here." Davis said, outlining a brownish area in red before moving on. "The equator sports a single consistent mountain range around the entire planet and there's another ring of mountains at each pole. All of them seem to get a lot of severe weather there, almost constant storms from the look of it. Temperature appears to fall within human tolerances. Mineral deposits appear to be on par with what we'd expect and the planet is in good condition overall so it didn't get bombarded by asteroids like Celene did. Surprising amount of forest, could be useful." Davis continued. "Planetary rotation is a bit faster than what we're used to, a day/night cycle is about sixteen hours here instead of twenty-four."

Prometheus nodded thoughtfully at this. "Are there any signs of life or civilizations?"

"Plenty of vegetation and animal life but so far no indications of intelligent life." Davis replied. "No city structures or towns of any size on the sensors and there's no radiating energy signatures to suggest power usage. Looks like prime real estate so far."

"Splendid." Prometheus said with a smile. "Let us all take a look while the scans continue their work."

Exiting the pyramid, Prometheus and Ari were joined by Davis and another squad of Terminators at the shuttle.

"At least I get to see it this time." The woman remarked with a hint of tartness.

"You would have found Celene dull and uninteresting, I suspect." Prometheus replied. "This planet should be much more enjoyable."

The shuttle trip down the surface was largely uneventful though Arianasa spent much of the time plastered to one of the windows, watching the clouds pass by a incredible speed and the areas of land below seemingly laid out in miniature. When they finally touched down on one of the many plains that covered the surface Arianasa quickly stepped out onto the foreign world, taking a deep breath of air with Prometheus and Davis following after her.

"The air smells a bit sweeter than on Oerth." She noted. "Odd."

"All part of being on a new planet." Davis remarked as he came and stood beside her, Prometheus joining them a moment later. "Sky is slightly lighter blue, clouds appear mostly the same. Grass is greenish at least. If I'm not mistaken that's a Bronzewood forest in the distance." Davis remarked with a gleam in his eye. "That stuff's as expensive as Mithril on Oerth due to its rarity."

"What is it used for?" Arianasa asked curiously.

"It's an ultra-dense magical wood which is tough enough and light enough that you can use it in place of steel and still make decent weapons and armor out of it." Davis replied. "If we used it for building material we'd have log cabins as study as a reinforced metal building."

Prometheus nodded in appreciation. "I believe the scanners did show there were large amounts of forest on this planet. Could they all be Bronzewood?"

Davis's smile grew wider. "Not all of it I'm sure but from what I saw about half of it should be. We have something of a windfall here."

"Just try not to strip the planet bare of trees." Prometheus said in amusement.

Davis snorted. "Unlike those morons on Earth I know how to invest in the environment. I'll make sure to harvest plenty of seedlings so we can create farms of them and set up some reservations, among other things."

As the group wandered about they found a few large and horned furry creatures similar to buffalo grazing placidly on the tall grass. Arianasa carefully walked up to one, allowing it to watch and sniff at her scent before slowly raising a hand and stroking its brown pelt. The creature grunted neutrally as she stroked it bovine face and snout before it snorted at her with its large nose and wandered away, disinterested.

"Something tells me it did not want to be your pet." Prometheus suggested teasingly from a short distance away.

Ari looked back at him dismissively. "I was merely introducing myself, thank you. It's a lovely creature, I have no interest in making it mine."

"We'll need to collect a few specimens for study." Davis said. "Not to mention soil, mineral, water, plants, and other animals. I'll send teams down to have them start surveys as well as looking for specimens we can acquire without causing significant environmental impact."

Prometheus nodded. "We will need to make sure there are no surprises waiting for us here as well as plot out habitable areas for construction."

"You plan to begin colonizing this world already?" Arianasa asked in surprise.

"Not colonizing yet, though in time I intend to. Rather I intend to simply start creating places and infrastructure where people can live assuming there are no obstacles." He replied as he looked about, his many senses stretching across miles of land.

The group stayed for a few more hours with Arianasa and Prometheus taking a flight around the area to stretch their wings and enjoy the feeling of the wind about them while more shuttles bearing teams of Terminators and containers of research equipment landed nearby. Before long they heading back to the shuttle returning once again to the city. Having confirmed from the sensors that no obvious civilizations existed on the surface the massive structure soon accelerated away from the planet, jumping across the vast gulf of interplanetary space. After a few days of travel they slowly approached the large orbiting yellow sun.

"Incredible." Davis remarked as the city flew nearer and nearer to it. "This isn't a sun as we understand it."

"What do you mean?" Prometheus asked curiously.

"There's no nuclear fusion taking place within the core." Davis replied with an odd note in his voice. "It's literally a ball of normal fire. Hot certainly but not millions of degrees hot."

"Could you stand next to it." Arianasa asked curiously.

"It would be like standing next to the biggest bonfire in history but you could do it." Davis replied in a slightly shocked tone. "We're currently much closer to it than we would have any right to be if it functioned like Earth's sun, yet we're taking no damage and the thermal readings are well within acceptable parameters for life to survive. Did Pelor simply create it whole cloth or..."

"Allow me." Prometheus said before he launched his consciousness towards the massive ball of fire, his mind and senses scanning the interior of the massive sphere of pyrokinetics before retracting himself. "It would appear there is a three-dimensional portal at the heart of the structure, a spherical gateway that is one way only. Based on what I sensed I believe it is connected to the elemental plane of fire."

"So that's where the fuel comes from." Davis muttered. "These planes are supposed to be infinite in size so it would never run out of energy. But that's still not enough energy to heat the planets nor ensure its light reaches them."

"Pelor." Prometheus supplied in an indulgent tone. "You cannot apply scientific principles to objects that are controlled by the gods, for they act as Their will dictates, not how you believe they should or by the rules of any physical law. It is by Pelor's constant application of will that light and heat reaches Oerth as well as the other planets in their appropriate measures, all balanced perfectly so that some regions are colder than others, allowing for snowy regions and other, hotter, desert regions. The other gods work in tandem to control the seasons, the weather, and all other such aspects of existence. Thus they create general laws that nature and reality follow due to their insistence but these matters can always be changed if they desire it. Hence the ability for magic and miracles to function and change reality as desired."

"Cheaters." Davis muttered causing the pair to chuckle.

"Perhaps." Prometheus allowed. "But it does make things more interesting does it not? In any case, let us continue onward. We can examine the sun more at a later date."

The city travelled onward for several hours, further beyond the nearby worlds until they came to a massive asteroid field.

"They call it the Grinder." Davis explained as they approached the various asteroids floating in the aether. "This absolutely huge asteroid field is actually spherical in nature and surrounds the inner planets like a bubble of rock."

"Do we have any information on how it was formed." Arianasa asked as she looked at one of the holographic displays floating in mid-air next to them, the blue screen showing the solar system and the massive encirclement of asteroids sitting in the middle of it. "It's almost as if some massive rock exploded outward in all directions from where Oerth now sits."

"Not at the moment." Davis replied. "It'll take quite a while to get enough data from the asteroids to make any kind of judgement statement about why they are positioned the way they are. And even then we could probably just blame it on Celestian wanting to confuse the astronomers. The gods can be fickle like that." He said jokingly.

Arianasa snorted in amusement. "I cannot argue with that." She admitted. "Will the city be in any danger?" She asked as she peered at the display closely.

"Not from the asteroids." Davis replied as they continued to fly closer towards the field. "That screen you're looking at is very compressed in regard to scale, these asteroids are actually many thousands of kilometers apart. You could drive a small continent between them and still have room to spare. Naturally there's lots of smaller debris that would make passing through somewhat dangerous for a Spelljamming ship but we're big enough that it doesn't matter."

"We should be able to make good use of them for strip mining." Prometheus mused as he gazed about at them. "They should hold quite a lot of metallic wealth."

"Or we could just make a living selling space rocks." Davis remarked. "Wizards on Oerth would pay through the nose for chunks of those asteroids hoping to have 'star metal' to work with."

Prometheus raised an eyeridge curiously at this. "You are correct. Metal from beyond Oerth is often said to contain mystical properties. Of course we will need to test some to be sure but it is an interesting point. Once we reach one of the asteroids we shall hold position for a short time to dispatch several probes and analysis units."

"Understood." Davis replied.

The city continued its rapid acceleration through the massive encirclement of stone, stopping only briefly to dispatch teams of spider-like machines to scan and drill into its interior before continuing onward. Passing beyond the asteroid field they traveled for another day and a half before arriving at a large gaseous world.

"Analysis?" Prometheus prompted, looking at the light blue featureless sphere before them.

"Scanning now." Davis replied as powerful beams of energy scoured the blue gas giant.

"This world appeared to be a self-contained sphere of air with large land masses scattered around the outer edges of it." Davis reported several minutes later. "It's as if a planet had decided to explode outwards before being halted in its progress."

"Curious." Prometheus muttered. "How is it the atmosphere does not escape?"

"Getting some very odd readings about that." Davis replied. "There appears to be a powerful gravitational field at the center of the sphere but there's no solid matter there, only more atmosphere and the gravity is only strong enough to hold an object in place. To hold that much atmosphere in place with that amount of precision the gravity well would need to be far more powerful than it is. Interestingly there also appears to be some kind of membrane surrounding the outer edge of the oxygen bubble. It's completely permeable and self healing from what I can tell." Davis muttered. "I am detecting a large number of life forms around the land masses as well."

"Well then, it appears the gods created this place for a purpose. Let us take a look." Prometheus prompted. "Head towards the nearest landmass if you please."

"All ahead." Davis remarked as the city flew closer to the planet. As they approached the clear membrane separating the planet's atmosphere from the void it began to flow around the bubble created by the Infinity Drive, sealing itself immediately after the city had passed through. As they watched on the monitors they could see the landmass slowly come into view like a huge floating island with forests and mountains scattered about its surface.

"Picking up lifeforms on the scanners." Davis reported. "Quite a few too by the look of it."

"I should think so." Prometheus suddenly said with a broad smile. "I realize where we are; I've been here before."

"You have?" Arianasa asked in surprise. "How?"

Prometheus chuckled at this. "Do find a good parking spot Davis. I have some friends to greet. Come Ari, allow me to introduce you."

Wrapping an arm around her Prometheus teleported them through the dimensional barrier and into the open air as he transformed, holding himself and Arianasa aloft. His aura unfurled from his body like a crack of lightning, attracting a large number of flying creatures in the distance.

"How do you know them?" Arianasa asked as she transformed as well.

"Not too long ago they fought alongside me in the Demon War." Prometheus replied. "Perhaps you remember them from the final battle at Utopia."

Arianasa blinked as memories came to the surface…

 _Suddenly above the battlefield a massive blue portal easily a quarter mile wide erupted in the sky, swirling with power. Those gazing up at it saw a rich temperate land filled with forests and mountains and a clear sky with a horde of glistening flying creatures flying towards it. A moment later Dragons surged from the portal by the dozens, their scales flashing myriad metallic colors in the sunlight. On the backs of many of the Dragons sat men in silvery plate armor and at the head of the massive force was a Dragon all of them knew well._

" _Protect the Ascendant!" One of the Dragons shouted, the other Dragons forming an honor guard around Prometheus on all sides as they cast shielding spells._

 _Whirling blades of conjured blessed light shot from Prometheus's paws, spinning towards the Demons like sawblades as other Dragons fired spears and bolts of power strong enough to impale a Dragon or burst through their scaled hides. Shields imbued with unholy energies splintered and broke before the onslaught as the Demons themselves were shredded into pieces. From the backs of the Dragons the silvery knights drew their weapons, aiming their sniper rifles and firing into the horde. Heads and limbs exploded as the powerful rounds tore through the Demons' supernaturally strong skin, the Terminators aim unerring._

"The warrior Dragons from the portal!" Arianasa breathed in realization. "Then this must be…"

"The Dragon Sanctuary." Prometheus confirmed. "The dwelling place of the Metallic Dragons throughout the long ages since their exile at the end of the Dragon Wars. Bahamut transported me here after I escaped from Critwall where I helped organize the counter attack with the help of the Council of Wyrms."

"The Ascendant returns!" Cried one of the Dragons as the large group of over two dozen flew closer, their scales shining brilliantly in the sun.

"Do you feel his aura?" One of the Gold Dragons asked. "His power has grown to immense proportions!"

"What news of Oerth, Ascendant?" A Brass Dragon called out. "We have heard naught since the end of the war!"

"My friends and battle brothers!" Prometheus called out to them. "It does my heart good to see all of you again!"

As the group of dragons neared they gasped in astonishment at the power of his aura for it was unlike anything they had ever encountered except upon those rare occasions when they would be in Bahamut's direct presence.

"Great One! The power you wield...have you become as like unto the gods themselves?" A Gold Dragon asked in amazement. "Even the greatest of Ascendants in all of our history have never risen so high!"

"A god I am." He confirmed with a smile. "By the blessing of Bahamut and in accordance with the will of the Council of Gods I am the Divine Lord of Technology and Innovation."

The dragons immediately inclined their heads in reverence to him. "We are honored that you should come before us Great One!" They murmured.

"Please my friends, raise your heads to look upon me as you always did." Prometheus said gently. "A mere fifteen years have passed since the war ended and I rose to my current status. I am not so old and set in my ways that I neglect the friendships I cultivated such a short time ago. Come! Allow me to visit with you as in previous years that I might know of your comings and goings."

The dragons raised their heads and smiled, glad that the comradery between them still existed. "And who is this lovely specimen beside you?" A Silver Dragon asked with interest.

"Another Ascendant, raised up by Bahamut." Prometheus explained, glancing at Arianasa. "She is my Empress and mate, Arianasa."

"We are honored to meet you, Lady of Radiance!" The Silver said graciously. "You are fortunate indeed to have such a mate for there has never been one such as he!"

"The gods have favored me greatly indeed." Arianasa said in modest agreement. "He has made me very happy and I, him."

Prometheus smiled. "Our subjects as well. Among them she is called the Queen of Mercy."

Arianasa ducked her head a bit at this in slight embarrassment. "They do love to bestow such silly titles on me. I do not deserve them."

"Ah my dear, if anything they are well-deserved." Prometheus assured her before turning to the others. "Come! As much as I enjoy these flights I would prefer to feel the ground beneath my feet!"

Nodding, the group reoriented themselves and began to fly towards the massive floating island, all of them flying around the pair in a loose bubble of wings and scales, assuming the positions of honor guard though it was hardly needed.

"Tell us Lord, of the great structure you bring!" One of them requested. "We have never seen its like before! Have you brought your own island to join us here?"

Prometheus chuckled at this. "It is a lovely idea my friends, but no. I created the floating city you saw for other purposes but perhaps one day it shall reside here. At the moment she is on her maiden voyage to ensure everything works as intended as I make my way between the worlds!"

"You are visiting the other planets that float within the void?" They asked in surprise.

"Little is known of these other worlds apart from the farsight and memory of the Elves." He explained. "Very few on Oerth even consider them in their daily lives. I would know them and what they are, what peoples live upon them if any. There is much knowledge and much potential to be gained from such explorations."

"Your aspirations are far greater than ours then!" They laughed.

"We may love knowledge but we have no interest in venturing beyond the sphere of our home." One of the Bronzes said. "It is why we did not stay after the battle for your world even though the Council decided to migrate there. I trust Alsharak and the others are well?"

Prometheus nodded. "They are indeed well and have carved out a territory for themselves in the north. We keep in regular contact."

"That is good news!" A Copper agreed. "We have not heard from them since and while it has not been a long time we did wonder."

"I shall endeavor to create a way for you and them to communicate across the vast distance." Prometheus promised. "I would not have you ignorant of their doings and of news from Oerth. Indeed it was an oversight on my part and I humbly apologize for not taking your needs into consideration."

One of the Bronzes waved a paw in dismissal. "You need not apologize Great One. No doubt there was much happening after the war and we played but a tiny part in it. We are, at best, bit players on the grand stage of history. Our time has been gone for many centuries."

As the island drew ever closer Prometheus shook his head. "There will always be a need for us my friends." He assured them. "Dragons have returned to Oerth and are constantly improving and changing the world for the better. It is my hope that one day all of you may join us; there is much that has been forgotten by the mortal races that you still recall with ease. That knowledge and memory of ancient times alone would be invaluable to many."

The dragons chuckled at this. "You present an amusing proposal." A Silver said. "Perhaps one day we shall consider it. But for today, welcome back to our home!"

The group flew lower as they reached the island, circling about one of the open areas near the lip of the continent before landing. As they came to rest on solid ground another group of Metallics approached with an older Gold leading them.

"By Bahamut's grace!" He exclaimed in surprise, his voice somewhat deep and gruff. "When I sent you to investigate that massive island I did not expect this! Welcome back Great One!"

"Krion'fanthicus." Prometheus said with a smile, recognizing the Wyrm. "Fifteen years it has been since we met and yet to me it feels like yesterday. It does my eyes and heart good to see you again."

"As you do mine." The Dragon said warmly as they clasped each other's forearms. "Your aura has grown powerful indeed my friend. In fact I almost mistook you for Bahamut himself when you arrived!"

"The gods have been kind to me in allowing me to ascend even further." Prometheus said. "But we can discuss such matters later. How is your mate Agrelia?"

"She is well." Krion'fanthicus said. "No doubt she will be glad to see you as well. Since we talk of mates, I take it this is your betrothed you told me of?" He asked, looking over at Arianasa.

Arianasa smiled as she walked over to him, inclining her head in respect. "I greet you Krion'fanthicus."

"She has ascended as well!" He exclaimed in surprise upon sensing her aura. "By Bahamut you have been blessed child!"

"He did indeed bless me." Arianasa agreed. "On the day we married he appeared before us and blessed me with Ascendancy so that one day I could be as close to divine as I could be, compared to my husband."

"Such wonders that go on in your world!" He muttered in amazement. "But come, join us for a meal and tell us of all that has happened since the war!"

The group left the beachhead and moved further inland through a large forest before coming to a large open clearing where a simple living area was constructed for several dragons. Agrelia, another Gold dragon, embraced Prometheus and Arianasa as they arrived, excited to see the pair of them, Prometheus having met the female briefly during his time in the Sanctuary. Dragons from miles around traveled to the clearing as word of the new island and Prometheus's arrival spread. Hours passed as Prometheus described the activities of the Council during their time on Oerth as well as the spread of his own empire and the industrial revolution he had been creating on Oerth during that time. The Dragons listed with academic interest as he described some of the new innovations that had come about but it was clear that the Dragons that lived there prefered a more rural and carefree existence than more modern life, having lived such simple lives for many centuries. As evening set in Prometheus used the magic at his disposal to provide a banquet for the various Dragons that had come, from meats and cheeses of all kinds to breads from across Oerth as well as drinks, desserts, and various delicacies most had never sampled. The impromptu party lasted well into the night as the Dragons ate and drank with delight while sharing stories with Prometheus and Arianasa as well as each other. Prometheus and Arianasa in turn described harrowing stories about what had happened during the final days of the war, some of which the Dragons had been privy to and some they had not. Finally, after spending a few days enjoying Krion'fanthicus's hospitality and learning more about the Sanctuary as well as the other dragons who lived there, they decided to take their leave. They promised to return one day with many of the Dragons swearing minor oaths to serve should he ever call upon them for aid in the future.

Returning to the city it slowly exited the airy world before launching itself across space once again. For several weeks they flew through the vast gulf of space, criss-crossing the solar system and pausing at each planet they encountered to analyze and inspect it. The next planet they reached, Conatha, was an odd elliptical water world with two solid cores that orbited around each other. While populated by many piscine creatures, including merfolk and sahuagin, orbital scans revealed they lived primitively in underwater cities. Unwilling to disturb them Prometheus merely left several satellites in orbit to scan and observe both the planet and its denizens passively before continuing on.

The next world they arrived at, known as Ginsel, was a crescent-shaped airless world that resembled a fruit with a giant bite taken out of it as if a massive impact had occurred upon it in the distant past. Detecting no signs of past life or structures Prometheus nevertheless dispatched a scientific team of Terminators to analysis the planet and provide a report on its usefulness in the future upon his return voyage once the survey of the system was complete.

On their way to the outer edge of the system they passed near Borka, a dense spherical asteroid cluster that contained pockets of atmosphere within them. Analysis of the asteroids confirmed that it had formerly been a planet inhabited by Orcs, Goblins, and other humanoids, but had been devastated. Prometheus's senses soon discovered the destruction had been caused by powerful magics of seemingly Elven creation, the few remaining humanoids eking out a primitive existence within the bubbles of air found there. Dispatching more satellites to watch over the creatures there they continued on their journey. At the edge of the system they discovered the odd world known by Oerthians as the Spectre, a flat, circular disc of rock the size of a planet. The name given to it soon became clear as the vast piece of stone appeared to vanish and reappear when viewed edgewise before rotating to show its full face. Curiously Davis discovered that the flat planet included an atmosphere breathable by humanoids as well as water along with vegetation, forests, and mountains but no animal or intelligent life.

Dispatching more Terminators to set up a research station they made their way back towards the inner area of the solar system, passing the final planet Gnibile on the way, a massive red gas giant vaguely similar to Jupiter that floated in the middle of the system between the Grinder and the Spectre.

"Data coming in." Davis reported as the pair sat in the throne room. "Interesting, but not entirely unexpected, given the strange properties we've seen on the other planets in the system. Apparently this is a gas giant with a solid core in the center but the center is composed of dense rock and other exotic matter, it's not gasses compressed into liquid or metallic form by intense gravitational pull. The gravity pull of the giant is enough to keep the atmosphere in place but the core is inhabited."

"Inhabited by what?" Arianasa asked curiously.

"Undead." Davis remarked darkly. "How they got there I don't know. There's also some kind of dark energy anomaly coming from the center of the core as well. Unfortunately I can't get any solid readings on it or most of the core given the power fluctuations coming from it."

Prometheus frowned. "Let me see if I can find anything." He suggested before focusing his mind and launching his consciousness towards the planet. His senses flew through the vast cloud of multi-colored gas surrounding the massive rocky core of the world. Upon the surface he found many thousands of undead, mostly skeletal creatures milling about aimlessly. Following the outpouring of dark energy to its source he found himself facing a massive natural portal of rock from which a constant stream of negative energy flowed, its power gushing from it like a dark river of oil.

"Not a place I wish to visit." He muttered in trepidation. "Still, a small probe should be sufficient."

Sending a spike of his consciousness carefully into the portal, he probed its interior before it was suddenly pulled along. A sensation of moving at impossible speeds overcame him as hellish scenes filled with undead of all kinds flashed before his mind's eye in rapid succession. Suddenly a smooth, baritone voice intruded upon his mind, reeking of amused darkness and arrogant power.

 _Soo...we met again little enkindler! The Outsider from another realm who plays at being a savior of men! One day we shall meet and on that day all that you have built will come crashing down! But not yet little fool, not yet! Begone for I have much to do and you are but an errant thought to me!_

Prometheus hastily withdrew his probe, his senses still for a moment as he processed what he had seen and heard.

 _A great fortress of stone and iron upon a great hill with undead moving about through a decrepit city...a powerful figure cloaked in black standing on a balcony...fire and flames surging through the sky as the land erupts..._

Prometheus withdrew his consciousness back to his body, his mind recalling a similar incident years ago when he was in the middle of a battle. _The same voice...the same arrogant tone...he knows the significance of my name yet how could he? I did not sense him as being directly on the other side of the gateway...so where does this creature hail from and how does he know of me?_

Focusing on the room around him he found Arianasa gazing at him in concern.

"What is it?" She asked. "Your aura...twitched for lack of a better word. I've never felt it do that before."

"I encountered something I...did not expect." Prometheus admitted thoughtfully. "Davis, send down satellites to monitor the planet. However, I also want monitoring equipment set up discreetly around the portal I discovered. If something emerges from that portal I wish to know about it immediately."

"Understood." Davis replied.

Prometheus pondered the matter a moment more before refocusing on his objective. "Once the equipment is in place we must pick up the remaining Terminator teams and decide what is to be done regarding each planet. After that, we return home."


	9. Where No God Has Gone Before

**Chapter 8: Where No God Has Gone Before**

 _The Imperial Palace_

 _1 month later…_

"The Synthoids have been reporting positive progress in regard to the construction of settlements on Raenei and their topographical/geological surveys continue apace." Davis was telling Prometheus and Beowulf as the trio walked along one of the palace's corridors. "Surveys on the other planets and moons continue to progress as well. Celene is proving to be quite rich in mineral wealth on the side facing away from Oerth due to meteorite bombardment as we expected. Once mining stations are setup we can begin to extract the star metal we found there as well as tin, iron, nickel..."

"That should be quite useful." Prometheus mused.

"Indeed." Davis replied. "According to the information we have, starmetal or metals found in meteorites, are akin to enchanted metal in that they provide increased strength, durability, and generally boost the attributes of whatever they are forged with. Normally it's used to enhance swords or other weapons but we could find other uses for it. If nothing else we would control the market for it and can charge quite a lot for even small amounts as this stuff is rarer than diamonds on Oerth."

"Very true." Prometheus acknowledged. "More importantly the maiden voyage of my floating city was a complete success. Inspection of the systems and runes being used during the voyage were completed and we found no serious strain on any of them. Once the city is partially populated with Synthoids as well as some of my other followers we can start our true voyage."

"You call them Synthoids when for the longest time they were Terminators." Beowulf noted curiously. "Why change their name now?"

"It is something I have been meaning to do for some time." Prometheus replied. "Truthfully I should have when I converted them to serve me but there was never a need until now as only those close to me knew their original names. When we return to Earth, however, they will need a different name as they are no longer machines of death as they once were and Earth is more familiar with such creations. I have repurposed them to serve my will and soon they will be beings in their own right with their own free will. I would not have them be seen as weapons or my slaves when we arrive. Earth has had its own problems with slavery and even today the practice still exists in some places. I refuse to set a precedent by appearing to endorse such practices, even if we are talking about intelligent machines."

Beowulf nodded. "And so my flock is made up of Organics and Synthoids, all being equal in the sight of our Lord for neither is greater in His sight than the other."

"Indeed." Prometheus agreed.

"Are you certain you wish for me to accompany you Alpha?" Beowulf asked in quiet concern, his hands clasped behind his back as they walked. "Won't the humans be frightened of me?"

"I will not sugarcoat the truth my friend, there will be many that despise you because of your appearance. On the other hand there will be many who will be fascinated with and even attracted to you because of your appearance." Prometheus replied. "Humans have a broad spectrum of beliefs and views as you no doubt recall."

"I recall the last time I was among them they poked and prodded me like some animal in a cage and asked some very inappropriate questions." Beowulf grumbled.

"That was a very small and select group." Prometheus reminded him. "You cannot judge them all by the actions of a few."

"True." The Gnoll sighed.

"I think you will be pleasantly surprised, and perhaps rather shocked, at the reactions you will get." Prometheus continued with a hint of amusement in his voice. "We shall become, at least for many, something like celebrities. These people enjoy watching their celebrities' every move, hang on to their every word, and analyze them in a dozen different ways. You will need to be careful with your speech my friend, for they will take everything you say as the Word of God itself."

Beowulf smirked. "Given that I am your High Priest and Herald I would hope so."

The pair shared a chuckle as the trio entered Beowulf's room. The Gnoll had nearly finished packing away what he was going to bring given the number of packs and bags filled to the brim on his bed. Beowulf turned to look at Prometheus frankly.

"I know you have been planning to return to Earth for several years Alpha but there is still much to do here. Why have you chosen now to go back?" He asked.

"Necessity, my friend." Prometheus replied with some heaviness. "I had hoped that when I created my company years ago that it would be able to help resolve the world's problems. I had intended to provide the world with goods and services gradually that would help better their lives, and to a degree this has happened. However, the pushback against such advances has been greater than anticipated, particularly in recent years. Earth has slowly gotten worse over the last twenty years. Even with my final ascension fifteen years ago I did not have the resources to do what needed to be done on Earth as well as move forward with my plans here on Oerth. But given what we now have access to in terms of land, materials, and other resources, I can potentially make improvements on a large scale. I only hope the people are willing to accept them, and me."

"If I have learned anything over the years Alpha, it is that you cannot please all the people all of the time. Even here there are still those who distrust the priesthood and its proclamations. People dislike new things, changes to how things are even if it is for the better." Beowulf said sagely.

Prometheus nodded. "Quite true, my friend, and I shall have to be mindful of that when I address the people of Earth. However, the planet itself is reaching a critical time which is why I am returning now. Humankind will need to focus its efforts and change for the better if it is to survive. It is my hope that I will be able to guide them to that destiny and that they will allow me to guide them for the are a stubborn and prideful people."

"You have not failed to accomplish whatever you set your mind to Alpha." Beowulf replied faithfully. "I have no doubt you shall succeed there as well."

Prometheus smiled at Beowulf's sincerity, sending feelings of warmth and appreciation down the link they shared.

"I've been able to gather satellite and space probe data from NASA's computer archives regarding locations we can teleport into within the solar system as you requested." Davis mentioned. _"_ Though why you want to take five months to get to Earth…"

"As Beowulf just mentioned humans are slow to change and adapt to new situations unless it affects them personally." Prometheus replied. "I do not wish to suddenly appear above the planet like a conquering warlord intent on their subjugation, I wish to give them time to adjust and prepare for my arrival that they might comport themselves properly."

"It will also give them time to plan for any war strategies and tactics they might use." Davis warned.

Prometheus snorted at this. "There is nothing they could send against me that I could not counter my friend. No, my concern is that they will reject me entirely but I do not believe that will happen. It will take time but eventually mankind will come to see me as their guide."

"As you say." Davis remarked, seemingly unconvinced before his hologram vanished in a fizzle of color.

"The Synthoids will take your bags to the city when we are ready to depart." Prometheus said. "I shall check in on the others to ensure there are no lingering concerns."

Beowulf nodded as Prometheus departed, appearing in the study within his private chambers. Sitting down in a soft leather chair he focused his mind in another direction, seeking out Elidar.

 _How goes matters in the Order, Elidar?_ Prometheus inquired.

 _The Knights of the Fourth Claw have purged the cultists of Tiamat that were operating out of one of the old Bone March fortresses to the north._ The Grandmaster of the Dragon Knights replied. _They encountered some resistance but it was easily dealt with. The First and Second Wings continue to patrol the skies of areas where known chromatic Dragons reside but they have not reported anything of note. Several of the Knights in Third Claw are discretely investigating rumors of a Vecna cell operating in Pomaraj but they have made no progress yet. We will continue to monitor that situation with Davis's assistance. The First and Second Claws are still at their posts in Mitrik and Radigast City with nothing to report, though the First Claw have mentioned the Canon is considering having some of them and his Knights of Rao scout some of the Iron Wood to the south of them. Apparently he's been getting reports of strange, unnatural creatures taking up residence there. There is nothing else of concern as far as I am aware._

 _And the latest human recruits?_ Prometheus asked.

 _I had to turn most of them away as usual._ Elidar replied. _They had the enthusiasm and the courage but not the moral and mental fortitude we require. There were a few that appeared to be a cut above the rest. I will have them go through the usual training. Assuming they persevere and complete the Trials to my satisfaction I will have them undertake the Oaths and perform the blood ritual so that they can become Squires._

 _Good._ Prometheus replied, dismissing the link between them as he considered his knightly Order briefly and the impact they had made on the world.

The Order of the Radiant Dragon had grown over the years as more metallic Dragons and many machines had swelled their ranks as well as some human initiates and even a few humanoids that had proven themselves worthy. Where once the Order had been composed of little more than fifty Knights, there were now nearly a thousand organized into numbered companies of one hundred, each designated as a Claw or Wing depending on whether they fulfilled land-based or aerial duties, though each group tended to have their own moniker, the First Claw being known as the Emperor's Fist. Each company was further divided into squads of varying sizes as needed for whatever mission they undertook. Those few mortals, be they human or otherwise, who passed the rigorous trials that tested their minds, bodies, and spirits to the utmost, were allowed to swear sacred and binding Oaths, ensuring their eternal loyalty to the gods of light and the God-Emperor.

Forsaking all prior connections such as family, friends, and any prior allegiances they may have had, their blood was infused with the blood of one of the Dragon Knights while sacred rituals were performed, melding the two and beginning the transformation process. Placed in special tanks known as incubators they slept as their bodies transformed slowly into a metallic Dragon hybrid based on the blood they had been infused with. Nanites from the Dragon Emperor were injected into them throughout the process, helping to reform and then fuse with their bones, muscles, and organs, making them far more robust and stronger than they had previously been.

At the same time, all of the new recruits, Dragons or otherwise would be placed in complex, total immersion simulations created by Davis and honed by the experiences of the Knights themselves. Resting in the incubators or tanks of sterile fluid they were rendered unconscious and hooked to machines that would feed and hydrate them while the simulations were transmitted directly into the active brains of the neophytes, allowing them to learn and practice not only about their new bodies and its abilities but train and practice combat tactics. All forms of war from urban combat, to guerilla tactics, to open warfare against a numerically superior foe were practiced constantly with the neophytes alternating between fighting alongside their bonded Knight, an unknown army, or alone and behind enemy lines. For nearly six months they trained constantly in the mental realm learning as much as they could about the art of war while the Dragons honed any skills that had grown rusty over time and learned about new methods of war not used in their time. In their minds years passed as they trained with weapons of all types from medieval to modern, learning forms of melee combat from boxing and street fighting to the most complex martial arts. Situation analysis and local region tactics were ingrained as well as large scale strategy and how to lead soldiers into battle should the need arise, for they were to perform any duty required of them whether it be attacking the enemy on the front line to leading a battalion of soldiers on a campaign, or commanding entire armies from a communications center. Litanies of the various gods of light as well as Prometheus himself were drilled into their minds as they used their clerical powers within the simulations to beat back demonic forces of all shapes and sizes, from singular demons attempting to capture or kill an innocent to hordes that made the battles of the Demon War seem petty in comparison. These battles against existential horrors tempered their spirits and minds, enabling them to resist maddening beings that would break the minds of normal men or stand firm and not flinch against an unending tide of death and war, even if it meant their own deaths.

Reborn from the incubators or released from the sterile tanks in due course, the transformed hybrids needed no time to practice with their new forms as they were able to use their tails, claws, and wings as if they had always had them. Ready to do battle the moment they emerged, their expanded draconic minds were instantly prepared to accept any challenge and stand firm when all others would fall away in fear and doubt. They would become the Squires of the Knights they had blood-bonded with, serving them and living with them as a unit and a family until such time as they had proved themselves worthy to be full Knights of the Radiant Dragon and take on Squires of their own for they were to be the best and most powerful soldiers the Imperium of Light could produce.

Over the last fifteen years the Order had made a name for itself by locating and destroying cults to the few dark gods that remained as well as covens of dark creatures or agents of chaos no matter where they might sequester themselves. The draconic knights had braved some of the darkest and most vile of locations from the deepest tombs where liches conducted unholy experiments to mountain strongholds where scores of monsters prepared to unleash maddened war upon the inhabitants nearby. While their own armored scales would have been enough to repel most attacks, the God-Emperor had taken things a step further and bestowed upon them special sets of plated armor. A combination of his own holy nanites and a complex titanium alloy, these suits were partially liquid metal armor that could repel attacks from dark magic and instantly react to blows inflicted by a weapon, creating a super-dense and cushioned area at the point of impact that could reseal and repair itself in short order. This combination of holy armor and dragon scales ensured the knights' near invulnerability against any foe they might encounter. Hordes of Orcs, goblins, wraiths, and innumerable other monstrosities, conjured or summoned by their masters to destroy or stymy the knights while they performed their rituals or enacted their plans, soon found themselves overwhelmed by the relentless figures in chrome and gold plate, wielding mighty weapons of holy power from swords and maces to axes and warhammers. Such armor and weapons combined with centuries of experience in warfare ensured their success as none of the knights had thus far fallen in battle. Legends were already being written about the God-Emperor's invincible warriors of silver and gold smiting evil wherever it might be found like a host of celestial angels.

The cost of creating such a force had been significant and yet they had proven their worth for many of the dark dungeons and labyrinths that once held secretive cults and armies of fiends had been scoured and cleansed by the Knights in recent years as well as their allies such as the Knights of Rao and Pelor. The Demon War had left its mark indelibly on the minds and spirits of the people across the continent and they had no desire to experience such cataclysmic events ever again. Thus a purge movement had sprung up in later years, first in Utopia and Veluna, before quickly spreading to the rest of the kingdoms as well, desiring above all else the destruction of any dark or hateful creatures that could conceivably threaten them as the demons had. Entire hordes of Mountain Trolls, Gnolls, Goblins, Orcs, Giants, any tribe or clan of creatures that had been a threat to the peoples of the world, were hunted down relentlessly and slaughtered. The towers of dark wizards and their cabals were seized by force and their collections of dark knowledge secured before the towers themselves were torn down and even the most secretive societies such as the cult of Vecna and the assassins of the Scarlet Brotherhood found themselves inconvenienced and scattered by the discovery and destruction of many of their hidden bunkers and safe houses. The Brotherhood's power had diminished in recent years though they were still spoken of with dread. Vecna's cults became even more paranoid, fleeing to the deepest caverns and the most remote areas they could find to operate in small, solitary cells as they did their best to serve the will of the Lord of Secrets, his power seemingly diminished compared to what it had been.

Left unchecked such fervent passion might have created terrible self-destructive tendencies with the people jumping at shadows and tearing down their communities or even their own governments for fear of corruption, real or imagined. Fortunately, realizing the power as well as the possible abuses of such convictions, the ArchCleric and Prometheus as well as the various Knightly Orders across the continent had helped to guide the fevered masses into creative and positive pursuits as well as allowing the more martially minded into their ranks. As their swelling forces searched the countrysides for any boltholes or lairs they could discover they left detachments in many areas to provide protection and guidance until almost every major town and city across the continent held at least a small detachment of Knights. While abuses of power by these new knights did occur, such individuals were quickly weeded out thanks to the insertion of Synthoids within their ranks to serve as mentors for the new recruits.

Prometheus smiled in satisfaction at such recollections as he reached out to Davis. _How goes the next firmware upgrade for the Synthoids?_

 _Cross-checking against prior updates to confirm there's no logic errors, contradictory instructions, or duplications._ Davis replied. _Once that's done I'll run it through the ethics module to see if there are any outliers or odd commands I missed. Assuming that checks out I'll send it to you for final inspection before distributing it. Most likely within the next 8 hours give or take._

 _Good._ Prometheus said, turning his mind to the Synthoids for a moment.

Thanks to Prometheus's expanded production facilities the machines could be found in virtually any community across the continent. Acting as ordinary citizens with ordinary lives they worked and lived among the people in the community they served by being blacksmiths, healers, advisers, even menial laborers and farmers. Wherever there was a need that could not be filled by others they were there to assist. Learning about being human and helping unobtrusively where they could, they were the eyes and ears of the Emperor as well as being his sword and shield as each of them was ready to train or stand in defense of the places they lived. As they gathered information and acquired understanding they passed the information on to Davis who in turn analyzed and codified it before sending it out to the other Synthoids so that their understanding might grow as well. Thanks to the data vault from Darlana's ship as well as his now massive ability to collect data on a large scale, the intelligence of the machines were becoming extremely advanced. While Davis and the other machine intelligences had been sentient enough to pass for humans by mimicking their behavior, their understanding of human behavior, psychology, and the underlying nature of what it meant to be human had grown by an order of magnitude since then. Their functions and sub-routines had become so complex and advanced that they could nearly be considered true A.I's in their own right, capable of independent thought based on their own self-determined decisions. While none of the machines had yet asked to be free from Prometheus's control, nor had they asked any deep existential questions such as the nature of their existence or whether they were truly living beings, Prometheus knew that time was quickly approaching.

The door to his study opened and Arianasa entered. Clothed in human form and wearing a diaphanous frock of silver and white silk she came to him with an excited smile on her face, her brilliant blue eyes twinkling with delight.

"Davis tells me it is nearly time." She said.

Prometheus smiled seeing the excitement bubbling within her beneath the surface. "You are excited to be away from home?"

"I am excited to see your world." Arianasa replied. "I have seen very little of it apart from your apartments at your headquarters. I wish to experience it in all of its fullness!"

Prometheus chuckled. "Then you shall my dear. Just remember that Earth and its people do not know me as they do here. I will not be admired or worshipped as I am here, at least not in the beginning. You must be prepared to weather much criticism and even threats from them for many will fear us initially, no matter how benign our appearance and benevolent our message. They are like children staring into the darkness from the safety of the light, always wondering if there is something out there that will attack or consume them, and so they attack what shadows and half-seen things they see, thinking them threats. When the truth reveals itself they become humble and will tend to the wounds they inflicted but first we must weather their blows."

Arianasa nodded. "I understand and I shall do my best."

Prometheus stood and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly for a moment. "With you at my side I am certain we shall win them over." He said with a gentle smile. "None can resist the tender hands of the Empress of Mercy."

Arianasa giggled at this, playfully swatting him on the shoulder. "Please! Besides, my tender hands are for you alone." She insinuated coyly.

"Are they now?" He asked in amusement. "Then what will you do with them?" He asked suggestively as his eyes slid over her body, her gown clinging to her full curves.

"I will show you." Arianasa said with soft intensity as she kissed him again.

* * *

The days passed and Prometheus's city of the stars slowly began to fill with thousands of Synthoids as well as hundreds of his mortal followers, many of them from his priesthood, and two companies of Knights. The Council went over a few final matters that needed to be discussed before he set off on his newest campaign while Michael his Steward and several other high ranking Clerics in the church, all of them vetted by Prometheus personally beforehand, took charge of Beowulf's duties as well as the Empress's under Davis's watchful eyes. Once everyone was aboard the city engaged its drives before slowly floating away from Oerth beyond its sphere of influence before activating the Infinity Drive. A beam of multicolored energy shot from the tip of the pyramid before impacting against the dome surrounding the city. The energy began to spread rapidly, turning the clear barrier into a brilliant watercolor sky as it slowly surrounded the city from top to bottom in a massive sphere. Suddenly the entire globe became as bright as the sun before letting out a powerful flash.

A moment later the city was gone.

* * *

 _January 2nd, 2041_

 _SCOUT Telescope Control_

 _NASA_ _Planetary Defense Coordination Office_

The technician sat in front of the bank of controls and computer displays that functioned as the central hub for the SCOUT program which controlled the array of astronomy telescopes situated around the United States. The SCOUT program was designed to help astronomers track all celestial bodies in the solar system, analyze their movement patterns, and help determine whether any of the many thousands of asteroids and meteors that flew through the solar system constantly were a threat to the planet. From the control panel in front of her the technician could direct any of the massive telescopes across the country to focus on a specific object and track its movement and speed, thus allowing the computers to determine its trajectory and course.

Most of the time the system needed no manual adjusting or overrides as most of the objects in the system were already confirmed as harmless and so the technician spent most of her time on her smartphone, occasionally glancing up at the monitors to ensure nothing unusual was happening. The rest of the team had been out partying with the new year the day prior and as she was the only one sober enough to safely man the console she had been picked for monitor duty while the others slept off their hangovers. Given how every other monitor duty she had endured had played out she expected the day to be utterly dull and uninteresting.

Suddenly something caught her eye.

Looking up at the monitor bank with a frown, she leaned closer to one of the screens to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

A fuzzy but medium sized object was moving in a straight line from out of the belt of asteroids that demarcated the inner and outer planets.

"You gotta be shitting me." The woman muttered as she began adjusting some of the controls before her.

Receiving the signals seconds later several space telescopes began to slowly swivel about until they were able to capture the object and its movement, sending telemetry data back to the hub's computers. Lines of coordinates and other data scrolled down the screen rapidly as the woman's eyes flicked back and forth, analyzing and checking what was being sent and comparing it to the information on the other screens. Finally she sat back in silent shock for several seconds before grabbing the dedicated hardline phone next to the console and dialing a number. A moment later a querulous male voice answered.

"I don't care if you're hungover, you need to get down here." The woman told the person on the other end urgently. "SCOUT just picked up something and the telescopes confirm it. We've got company coming."

The man on the other end cursed before hanging up and the woman turned back to the screens, watching the slowly approaching dot with a sinking feeling. She was still watching the screen thirty minutes later when a balding middle-aged man in a white button down shirt and slacks stalked into the room, his face stormy.

"I swear to god Irene if this is some kind of joke just to get me out of bed after new years…" He warned.

"Give me some credit Burt." Irene replied sarcastically. "I'm not that stupid or self-destructive. Take a look." She insisted.

The man bent over her shoulder, peering at the screens, his frown deepening a moment later. "And all the calculations check out?" He asked.

Irene nodded. "To a tee. It's heading straight for Earth's orbit and it's due to impact in a little over five months."

"How large?" He asked with a hint of nervousness.

"Approximately three miles in diameter." She said dismally.

Burt swallowed quietly as he took it in. "The President needs to know about this." He muttered.

* * *

 _The White House_

 _Washington D.C_

President Pierce was not having a good day.

Of course it could be said that few days were good for one of the most powerful men in the world. As the leader and public face of America on the world stage he was expected to be a lightning rod for criticism and blame. In a country with such a diversity of citizens it was expected that no matter what he did or said, someone would be upset about it. Heck, even world peace would have been met with mocking derision from some of the backward parts of the country. But when a staff member ushered the President down to the Situation Room without telling him why, he knew this was going to be one of those 'extremely bad days' when things could go to hell very quickly if he were not very careful.

The man was extremely glad he'd been smart enough not to overindulge last night at the New Year's ball. The last thing he needed right now was to deal with whatever this situation was while nursing a hangover.

Opening the door for the President the pair stepped inside before shutting it, allowing the President to sit at the head of the long conference table while around the room were several flat screens embedded in the walls, allowing the President and his advisers to view multiple situations at once. At the moment most of them were currently tuned to major news networks.

" _.Efforts are underway to save Bangkok's numerous historical monuments and artifacts, with some temples being moved inland and reconstructed in their entirety as more of the city's districts continue to sink below sea level. Once used as flood barriers, these areas became converted to commercial and residential districts over recent decades resulting in an inability for the city to prevent such wide-scale flooding. Refugee camps continue to form outside the city's dryer and more stable areas while the government struggles to adjust as its capital continues to slowly sink into the sea."_

" _Rising sea levels and increased storm intensity have begun to seriously affect the British coastline. Currently, more than 800 homes have been lost due to cliff face erosion. While mitigation efforts have been stepped up around the country as a whole, these particular homes were deemed too expensive to save, resulting in their occupants being forced to abandon them and settle elsewhere, with little or no government compensation."_

" _Job riots continue today in Detroit, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, and St. Louis as major manufacturing industries continue to close plants comprised of mostly human workers to make way for cheaper and more efficient machine labor. A spokesperson for the AFL-CIO Labor Union group said…"_

" _In other news, efforts are nearing completion on a major upgrade of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) high speed rail line. America's busiest rail line, the NEC runs from Boston in the north to Washington in the south, via New York. Like many rail services in the US, it had seen decades of underinvestment…"_

The screen ahead of him at the end of the room showed a far more technical view as the monochrome display showed a dot moving slowly in a straight line away from a large collection of other dots.

"The Director of NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office is on Line 1 sir." The aide said helpfully. "Michael Willis."

Nodding the President hit the button on the phone in front of him that activated the speaker line. "Mr. Willis."

"Uh, yes sir. Good morning sir." The man's voice came from the grill, seemingly nervous.

"Considering I'm sitting here in the Situation Room with a very ominous looking picture in front of me I would hardly call it a good morning." The President replied grouchily. "Would you mind telling me what I'm looking at?"

"Yes sir, sorry sir." Willis replied hurriedly. "The screen you're seeing is from our SCOUT long range meteor tracking system. About 30 minutes ago it detected an object inbound from the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. This 3 mile-in-diameter object appears to be moving in a straight line from within the asteroid belt and is heading towards the inner planets. At it's current rate of speed it is expected to impact with the Earth in just over five months from now, around mid to late June."

A cold feeling settled into the man's bones as he took in what the Director was saying.

"Are you telling me we have a meteor that's going to impact Earth in less than six months and no one noticed until now?!" He demanded incredulously

"There was never any indication that a meteor was on such a course until now!" The man protested fearfully. "We checked all of the logs before I called you, there was no indication that it entered the solar system before it was picked up by SCOUT!"

"Meaning?" The President asked tersely.

"Meaning that something must have impacted it in such a way as to send it in our direction. It must have already been inside the belt and was forced into this trajectory by a collision!"

Clenching his fists on the table he sighed. "What options do we have for taking it out?" He asked somberly.

There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line.

"Sir…" The Director began hesitantly. "We...that is…"

"Mr. Willis I asked you a question." The President said with an icy edge to his voice.

The man sighed heavily on the other end. "I'm sorry sir...but at the moment...there's nothing we can do sir."

The President stared at the phone incredulously for a moment before he spoke. "Please tell me you're joking! Hell couldn't we load a nuclear warhead onto the tip of a rocket and shoot it at the thing?!"

"Our space vehicles aren't designed to hold those kinds of payloads!" The Director protested. "Even if we just shoved a warhead into one and fired it there's no guarantee it would do the job! It would take months of planning just to make sure we could get a rocket and its payload ready and by that point it would be too close!"

Smacking the Mute button on the phone the President sat there for a moment with his hands clenched while his mind raced to find a solution. A moment later he rested his hand against his face before sighing heavily.

"Please don't tell me I have to go on national television and tell everyone the world is doomed." He muttered dismally.

Suddenly the screens around the room became filled with white noise and static as the phone hissed with random sounds. Jerking his head up in sudden shock the man looked about the room in astonishment before the pictures stabilized showing nothing but golden-white light. A moment later a deep and majestic voice issued from the various television speakers as well as the phone.

" **To all who are able to hear the sound of my voice, I greet you in the name of peace. At this moment you are no doubt confused as to what is happening and who is speaking to you. Rest assured you are not the only one to hear my voice for I am broadcasting this message across the Earth. Though you all have many languages, tongues, and dialects, such barriers are nothing to me, for I speak and understand them all. Each of you vary in history, nationality, beliefs, and culture; in the past such differences divided you. Even now they continue to do so. But know that to me, such differences are a benefit for it makes each of you unique and precious. You do not know me yet, but in time you shall for I am coming even as I speak. I send this message ahead of me that the peoples of Earth may prepare for my arrival. Know that I come not to invade your world but to aid it. I come not as a conqueror but as a peace-maker. I come not to destroy but to make whole.**

 **No doubt many of you believe this to be a joke enacted by some attention seeker or a trick perpetrated by an enemy who seeks to deceive or lull you into a false sense of security. I assure you my words are nothing but the truth. Even so, make what preparations you believe are necessary if you do not believe my words for I will not hold such fears against you. Humankind has always feared the unknown and at this moment I am not known to you. Do what you feel you must to prepare for my arrival, I ask only that you not act aggressively towards me when I come. I ask that you allow me to present myself to all and speak of my intentions so that you might know the full and true facts regarding myself and why I have come. Look to the sky on the day of the summer solstice when the longest day occurs for then shall I arrive. On that day you shall behold wonders and see the truth of my words. Know that on that day, humanity shall at last have answers to questions that have filled their minds since the day they first looked up to the heavens and wondered.**

 **You wonder if there is other life in the universe. With my help you will have the ability to learn that answer.**

 **You wonder if other universes, other planes of existence, lie beyond your own. I am that answer.**

 **You seek purpose for your lives, I can bring them fulfillment.**

 **You desire to know what lies beyond death. I shall prove to you that in me there is life beyond death.**

 **You seek to expand to the stars and make a new home among them. With me such things will be within your reach.**

 **You search after a god whom you might serve and worship in spirit and in truth. I tell you that you need search no longer.**

 **Rejoice, for I bear glad tidings to all who will hear me. Your world and the people who live upon it are broken and dying but with my aid, it and you can be made whole. Such a process will take time and it will require sacrifice, but if you have the will to accept me and my help it can be done.**

 **A new and glorious age of humanity is within your reach. My question to each and every one of you is, do you have the will to grasp it?"**

The screens suddenly cleared with a burst of static and the President sat, dumbfounded in his chair.

"My god…" He muttered softly before looking at the screen ahead of him again, the slowly moving celestial object moving ever closer to Earth.


	10. Reactions

**Chapter 9: Reactions**

" **Te preguntas si hay otra vida en el universo. Con mi ayuda tendrás la habilidad de aprender esa respuesta.** "

" **Nǐ xiǎng zhīdào qítā yǔzhòu, qítā cúnzài de fēijī shìfǒu chāochūle nǐ zìjǐ de fànwéi. Wǒ shì nàgè dá'àn.** "

" **Kunt taseaa algharad lihayatika, wa'ana ymkn 'an yuhaqiq lahum alwafa'a.** "

" **Vous désirez savoir ce qui se cache au-delà de la mort. Je vous prouverai qu'en moi il y a une vie au-delà de la mort.** "

" **Sie versuchen, sich zu den Sternen zu erweitern und ein neues Zuhause unter ihnen zu machen. Mit mir werden solche Dinge in deiner Reichweite sein.** "

" **Vy ishchete Boga, kotorogo vy mozhete sluzhit' i poklonyat'sya dukhu i istine. Govoryu vam, chto vam bol'she ne nuzhno iskat'.** "

"Copies are already all over the net sir." One of the President's aides said, the various situation screens showing online videos of the mysterious broadcast, each in different languages and each with the same powerfully deep voice.

The Situation Room had filled in quickly once the broadcast had ceased a short while ago. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and other cabinet officials had come scurrying in, each of them in shock over what they had seen though the military contingent hid it rather better, though their faces looked rather grim.

Not that the man could blame them since apparently the world had just been contacted by a being not of this planet.

"Are we certain this isn't some kind of hoax?" One of the military brass asked.

One of the advisers from Homeland Security shook his head. "The web is exploding with all kinds of theories already and we're getting reports from all over the world. Every major broadcast network was seemingly impacted, even North Korea's and they don't allow any outside transmissions to intrude on their networks for any reason. If it is a hoax then whoever this was, they have the ability to hack into multiple broadcasting systems and data centers around the world at the same time and broadcast whatever they like on a global scale. The power and logistical capability that would be required to pull that off, nevermind the technology required...no, there's no way this could be a hoax."

"Oh my god…" one of the Joint Chiefs muttered dismally, the others looking at each other in concern.

"I suggest, gentlemen, that before we break out the nukes and panic we actually take time to consider the message." The President said pointedly, hoping to clamp down on any knee-jerk reactions. His day had just gone from bad to insane but at least he now knew that the object coming towards them was under someone's control. Not that it made it any better if they decided to ram the Earth with it anyway but at least someone had control of the thing.

"It doesn't hurt that the aliens, or whatever they were, appeared to have universal translator technology." One of the aides said quietly. "That will make first contact much easier."

"Are we actually considering this?" One of the Joint Chiefs asked in disbelief. "Someone or something just hacked every data and broadcast network on the planet! Who knows what information they got away with?!"

"According to the system logs at the NSA there were no outbound transmissions from any of the systems besides ordinary and expected traffic during that time." The other man reported. "As far as we can tell nothing was uploaded via that signal and no unusual transmissions occurred."

"As if they'd leave anything behind to find if they did." Someone muttered.

"It's a moot point." The President stated firmly. "If they have the ability to take control of our systems like this then we have no defense in any case. If they wanted to screw with us, or anyone else for that matter, they could easily have done so. Instead they chose to forward a message to us. Let's focus on that for the moment."

"We need to make some kind of statement and we need to make it quickly." The White House Communication Director stated urgently. "The press is going to break every speed record they can to get here and be the first ones to get our official statement out. We need to give them something! Something that will help keep everyone calm while we figure this out."

"We obviously can't be seen to take that message at face value or we'll look naive at best and foolish at worse." The Secretary of Defense stated.

"We also don't need to immediately condemn the message as an attack." The President's Senior Adviser said, standing nearby. "The message stated repeatedly they had no hostile intentions. Obviously we aren't going to assume that but we can at least say we are hopeful that this is the case and we are looking into the matter with the utmost concern."

"Will that be enough?" One of them asked dubiously.

"It has to be, for the moment we have nothing else to go on." The Senior Adviser replied.

"Alright enough." The President said firmly. "All we know is that they broadcast the message and that's all we know. We don't know who they are, where the broadcast came from, or whether we can trust the contents or not. We tell them we are devoting every resource we have to find out the truth of what happened and we leave it at that. The press is going to speculate wildly anyway, let's not give them even more fuel."

He turned to his Communications Director. "Write it up. I'll address the press and the nation as soon as it's ready."

He looked around the room. "Any other thoughts?"

There was a pregnant pause in the room before someone mentioned the fear no one wanted to think about.

"We need a plan in case they're hostile sir." One of the Joint Chiefs said stoically.

The President paused before giving him a level stare. "I had rather hoped, General, that you or one of your predecessors had already come up with one by now. Sounds like you need to start scrambling either way."

Turning about the man left the room.

* * *

" _What the fuck is this shit? Did my phone just go crazy?"_

" _It's not just you it happened on my phone too! What the hell?"_

" _Is this some kind of crazy hacker or virus going around? What the heck?!"_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Most recent posts from '_ CrazyMessages _' on Tumblr:_

 _ **Rigatoni**_ _: Anybody know what the hell I just saw?_

 _ **Wildman2876**_ _:_ _ **Rigatoni**_ _Same thing I saw man. A wild-ass recording with a bunch of static and light effects._

 _ **CrayCray387**_ _: Everybody and their grandma is going apesh*t over this._

 _ **AngstromHello**_ _: My grandma doesn't give a sh*t, she's been in the ground for 8 yrs._

 _ **Wavesalot**_ _:_ _ **AngstromHello**_ _Sorry to hear that man.  
_ _ **Wolfensteinfreak28**_ _: I'm not saying it's space aliens, but it's definitely space aliens!_

 _ **CrayCray387**_ _: LOL!_

 _ **Westendfool10**_ _: What Wolfenstein are they up to now? 20? :-D_

 _ **Trollfag5**_ _: Wolfenstein sucks!_

 _ **Wavesalot**_ _: lol wut?_

 _ **Wolfensteinfreak28**_ _:_ _ **Trollfag5**_ _Like your mom did when I was there the other night b*tch?_

 _ **Trollfag5**_ _:_ _ **Wolfensteinfreak28**_ _F**k you!_

.

.

.

 _Most recent posts from TheTruthIsOutThere forums:_

 _ **Abductee223**_ _: I knew it man! I just knew it! Vindication baby!_

 _ **Trutherbaby12**_ _: The gov't gonna lose their g*ddamn minds over this!_

 _ **Trailingthestarshopefully**_ _: What'dya think? Greys? Lizard people? Vulcans?_

 _ **Icklefirsty1278**_ _: You hear about David Icke? The dude is having a joy-gasm on every conspiracy site he can find. F**kin' funniest sh*t I ever saw!_

 _ **Trutherbaby12**_ _:_ _ **Icklefirsty1278**_ _You mean the nutty guy who thought up the lizard people meme?_

 _ **Icklefirsty1278**_ _:_ _ **Trutherbaby12**_ _F**k yeah man! OG's frothin' at the mouth goin' 'I TOLD YOU SO!". Gonna be sweet watching him eat crow when it turns out to be fake! :-D_

 _ **Slamduck98**_ _:_ _ **Icklefirsty1278**_ _Dude this ain't some fake sh*t. Sh*t's real. I just hope they ain't lyin' or we're all f**ked._

 _ **Butterflycox65**_ _: Can't wait for it man! Six months is too long! Hurry your asses up aliens! ._

* * *

 _Vancouver, Canada..._

The 54 year old woman stared in disbelief at her phone sitting on the desk next to the computer she was seated at in her home. A few minutes ago the strange message had appeared not only on her phone but on her monitor as well. She had been shocked and frightened by what had been happening, thinking that somehow her devices had been hacked by some strange individual or group but as time passed she found herself wondering just what on earth it could mean. She was quite grateful she and her husband had decided to take the day off from their practice but she was quite certain her day was about to get a lot crazier. Her office would be fielding phone calls left and right from her patients, wondering if they had suddenly gone crazy on top of whatever other mental issues they were having.

Suddenly the phone rang.

The woman jumped at the unexpected sound before swiftly picking it up to see who it was. Relieved to find it was only her husband calling she hit the button and put the phone to her ear.

"Thierry!"

"Dana! Everything okay? My phone went crazy a little while ago-"

"I know, it happened to me too, and the computer!" She exclaimed, gratified that it was not just here that had seen it.

"I'll be home in a few minutes." He told her. "Are you okay?" He asked in concern.

"I'm fine, just a little shook up." She assured him. "I'm going to check the news to see if anyone else saw it."

"Good idea. See you in a few." He said before hanging up.

Her mind focused once again she began opening various news sites she visited before her eyes widened in surprise. Apparently society had effectively flipped its collective shit with people freaking out from all parts of the globe with looting and riots already starting.

She was never more grateful that their home had a state of the art security system in place, not to mention the fact that she and her husband owned several guns and knew how to use them. She just hoped they wouldn't have to be used. Picking up the phone she quickly decided to call her two children. She wanted them here and close to her, under her watchful eye even if they were grown, until this whole mess blew over. They were her miracle babies and there was no way she was going to lose them to this craziness.

* * *

 _Defense Command Headquarters of the Korean People's Army_

 _Pyongyang, North Korea..._

Supreme Leader Kim Sun Ki strode quickly through the stone and marble hallways of Defense Command HQ followed by his retinue and various Generals of the armed forces. The message on the television he had seen a short while ago had shaken the young dictator badly and from the looks of things his Generals were faring no better. It was obvious to him that the Americans had somehow managed to breach their firewalls and plant this video into their computer systems somehow, perhaps even to devices across the country. How they had managed to do so eluded him but he had a crack department of cyber-warfare specialists to figure out that problem. Of course, that was before he had them all executed for failing to stop the attack in the first place. Such incompetence could easily lead to people getting the wrong ideas about how powerful he and his family were and how much control they had over their own systems. Kim was still fairly young as far as rulers went; his father Kim Jong-un had passed away a few short years ago and while he had been ruling in the man's stead for nearly a decade before his passing he was still considered untried by the rest of the world and this development would certainly not help matters.

If there was one thing the Family did not tolerate, it was appearing weak.

The group quickly moved into the meeting room where he and the other heads of the armed forces would meet frequently to discuss sensitive military matters. The room appeared more like a modern boardroom than a war room with wood paneling and leather executive chairs, but Kim, like his father, was a firm believer that the highest up the chain should have only the best for they deserved it more than others.

The other men waited for Kim to be seated before sitting themselves. The young man looked around at each of them quickly.

"You have all seen the broadcast. Speak your minds. We will need options to deal with this new development." He turned to the head of the Cyber-Warfare Division who was, understandably, nervous. "It goes without saying that I expect you to find out how this unacceptable attack on our systems occurred and what we can do to stop another in the future! I will not have our people's minds be contaminated with Western filth like this!"

"Forgive me Supreme Leader but are we sure the West is behind this?" One of the Generals asked cautiously.

Kim gave the man a scornful look. "Our Great Enemy would not hesitate to use such tricks against us to make us appear as fools! I have no doubt the Americans are behind this reprehensible attack! The only questions are how and what shall we do in response!"

"Long have we held our nuclear weapons in reserve for the day when the Great Enemy makes their move and attacks us." The General of the Strategic Rocket Forces stated harshly. "I say this constitutes such an attack! Let us use our great weapons against them and show the world we are not to be trifled with!" He insisted.

Kim frowned at him in annoyance. The man was utterly predictable in his desire to use said weapons and he touted them often. His father had fired many test rockets decades prior when they were developing their weapons program but despite what the West apparently thought of them Kim's family were not fools and they could recognize bluster when they saw it, having employed it their whole lives. Like the former USSR they understood the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction and the plain truth was that even if they managed to fire all of their missiles at America, their own country would be radioactive ash shortly thereafter. The puffer fish and many other animals made themselves appear bigger and stronger to bluff an enemy into fleeing. While this tactic did not truly work in the world of international politics with today's covert surveillance technologies it at least allowed him and his government to appear to be defending his people while keeping a lid on the crazier Generals who did not have such foresight as he.

"We will keep the weapons in reserve General, right now it would not be an appropriate response given what happened." Kim stated firmly.

The man appeared to want to argue but backed down a moment later. "As you say sir."

"What shall we say?" Another of the Generals asked the room. "We must show we will not stand up to such aggressive tactics!"

"We will indeed say so." Kim stated. "The people must know that we are ready to defend them at a moment's notice. Have we any recent intelligence that suggests the Enemy is preparing to strike?"

"We do not." The Head of State Intelligence replied. "There has been no significant troop movements in the South in recent weeks and the President has not suggested such to his people. No new assets have come into the region from anywhere in the world. If this is an attack it is a very strange way of going about it and very unlike what the Americans normally do."

"And that is exactly my point!" The head of the SRF exclaimed. "They have changed their tactics! Used an attack we did not foresee! We must strike with our missiles before they attack us from the shadows again!"

Suddenly one of the aides rushed into the room. "A thousand pardons for the interruption Supreme Leader, but the President is about to make a statement from Washington."

Gesturing for him to continue the functionary turned on the television, one of the few able to officially receive outside communications from the rest of the world. On the screen they saw the President standing before a podium.

" _My fellow Americans..."_

* * *

 _N M Rothschild & Sons Limited_

 _London, Great Britain_

The tall, stately building stood in the middle of central London as a testament to the ancient power of wealth and status, having been erected in the 1700's. The inside had been updated consistently throughout the centuries as times and aesthetics changed but the sense of opulence and grandeur had never faded from it. To call the institution merely a bank was to do it a disservice as property, money, and power on a global scale exchanged owners daily within its marble and rich wood walls. The institution was one of many across the world held either publicly by various holding companies or privately by a very close group of people, namely the Rothschilds. The current head of the family, one Baron David René de Rothschild, had been paying a visit when the broadcast had gone out over the airwaves. The man and his confidant now sat in a private office on the penthouse floor at the top of the building. Ensconced by luxurious wood, leather, and brass trappings they watched as the President spoke from the White House.

" _My fellow Americans. Today we experienced an event no one could have anticipated."_ The President said from the television screen as he stood in front of a podium on the White House lawn. " _At approximately 10:47am local time a message was broadcast to the White House and to every communication network in the world simultaneously. This broadcast included a vocal message that appears to be multilingual in nature. While we are still examining the contents of the message and its details the overall message was positive and pacifist in nature, indicating that we will be visited on the summer solstice by a person or persons unknown. While it is possible that this message was a hoax I and the United States Government are taking this message seriously. I would like to reassure everyone that all steps are being taken to ensure the safety of our people and plans are being drawn up for every possible contingency as we speak. On the other hand we do not wish to assume that this visitor is hostile and their message did not indicate as such. Therefore we are doing as they proposed in their message: prepare as you wish but do not expect to use such preparations as they will not be needed. We hope, we pray, that the visitor's message is authentic and truthful. If so, it will be an amazing and wondrous day for everyone. But make no mistake, we will be prepared for any eventuality that might come. You have my solemn oath and the oath of those who serve alongside me: we will defend this country and our freedoms if it becomes necessary. To all nations around the world and all of their leaders I say this, do not let fear rule your actions in the days ahead! Let us proceed with cautious optimism for history will judge us based on the actions we take now! If this message is authentic then it will indeed mean a turning point in our history and we must not squander this moment!"_

The television switched off as Rothschild put down the remote, sitting back in his executive chair behind the large desk and smoothing out his immaculate business suit. The man's French face was scrunched in thought as he mulled over the matter. Having been born on the eve of the second world war he had never thought he would live to see so much history. He was nearly a century old but his white, conservatively-combed hair and chiseled face made him look twenty-five years younger. His body was still firm and his health was good thanks to various treatments he had undertaken over the years. If he was fortunate he would continue to live on for several more years.

Assuming this new development didn't bring the world to its knees; the contents had been enough to shock even him. At his age he had thought the world had finished throwing surprises at him. Apparently the world was just enough of a sadist to prove him wrong.

He looked over at his confidant who had stood by him for nearly fifteen years. The Germanic and hound-faced man was dressed in an impeccable wine colored suit of burgundy and rose. His hands were covered by fine black velvet gloves and he wore a gold ring on each hand. His hair was brown and graying at the temples, his forehead was lined, and on his face he wore a pair of older fashionable spectacles, the left lens darkened to create an eye patch effect.

"Your thoughts Richard?" Rothschild asked.

"The President's response is hardly surprising." The man replied in his smooth baritone voice with a hint of a German accent. "He appeals to both ends of the political spectrum trying to sooth them as always. Yet his words are reasonable, we must not panic. We have time yet before the event unfolds if the message is to be believed."

"The markets are already in chaos." Rothschild muttered, glancing at a computer screen that showed the fluctuations in the world's stock exchanges as they reacted to the news. "God knows how much money we'll lose by the end of the day."

"Things will stabilize as they always do." Richard replied evenly. "Give it a week and the road should be less bumpy. We have diversified enough to ensure stability even in interesting times such as this."

"Interesting times?" Rothschild said with a sardonic glance. "I would consider that the understatement of the century."

"An old Chinese curse." Richard said with a smirk. "'May you live in interesting times'."

"Yes, well, I have had quite enough of those thank you." The man said with a sigh. "Yet it seems we must weather more and hopefully come out the other side with more fortune than we had."

"Trust in me as always and we shall." Richard replied soothingly.

"Let us hope." The man said, stroking his cheek thoughtfully. "What do you make of the message, then?"

Leaning back against the black leather sofa he was reclining in opposite the desk the man tilted his head back in thought.

"This changes a great many things." He said. "If the message is authentic it means that there is either life beyond our world or the concept of the multiverse is true and there are parallel worlds that are reachable by some means. By the same token it means that our world can be reached by others. The fact that they speak in language and in thoughts we can comprehend is quite frankly miraculous. Either they have been observing us long enough to decypher our languages perfectly, or they have technology that is beyond ours by a significant degree."

"I would think the fact that they can travel between universes with ease would be indication enough of them having advanced technology." Rothschild remarked sardonically.

"We have no idea if that is true or not." Richard pointed out in mild reproach. "But there was confidence in the message as well, the tone and words used were of those who believes completely in what they are saying, that their words are undeniable. Such conviction is...undesirable in this day and age. The social upheaval will be significant at the very least. Mankind has believed itself alone in the universe for decades and yet most of our cinema portrays such outsiders as destructive. It will be interesting to see how people react as the day approaches."

"Bank runs. Panic in the streets. Protests and demonstrations everywhere. I can see them now." David remarked dismally. "This could very well cause the markets to collapse if people decide that doomsday is coming."

"That is a strong possibility." Richard agreed with solemn nod. "In the short term this news is terrible for business but long term it may yield great bounties depending on the desires and intentions of the visitor."

"I suppose we shall just have to wait and see then." Rothschild said as he stood. "There's no point in continuing the tour of our holdings here at this point."

"Shall I instruct the pilot to file a flight plan for Switzerland?" Richard asked as he also stood, taking a cellphone out of his suit pocket.

"Yes, and make sure to call the rest of the family." Rothschild instructed. "This business will need to be discussed with everyone."

Nodding the man began to dial as they left the office.

* * *

 _Unknown location,_

 _China_

As the President's speech concluded Jin Longwei switched off the television, his mind whirling at what he had heard. Both the messenger and the message that had appeared on the television earlier had struck a chord deep within him as the voice that had come from the television had been the most powerful he had ever heard, filled with authority as if Heaven itself bowed to his will. Following that line of thought his eyes trailed upward to the ornate portrait done in the traditional Chinese style of a man in flowing royal robes of gold and crimson backed by the former symbol of the Chinese Empire, an eastern dragon facing a red orb in the corner.

The Emperor.

He had been brought up by the Society and his parents to revere the Emperor as was proper, even though his throne had been usurped by the Communists over a century ago. The legends of the Yellow Emperor as well as other ancient national heroes had been told to him many times over the years, even when he was younger, and his work with the Society had only deepened his reverence. Jin smiled as he recalled the stories, the ancients believing the Yellow Emperor to be the originator of the centralized state and even Chinese civilization itself, a cosmic ruler and a god, as well as a patron of esoteric arts. The Emperor had died in the fullness of time after living for nearly a hundred years but through his efforts he had attained immortality and become a god in his own right. Thus in his mind it was not inconceivable that the Emperor could return. Perhaps...

Jin had been somewhat religious most of his life, having paid lip service and respect to the various deities that ruled the Heavens. But this...this was something profound and if the message was to be believed, it could change everything.

Lighting a candle and retrieving a small cup of incense he placed it before the picture upon the wall, lighting it and filling the room with a sweet scent. He bowed his head and began to pray earnestly and softly, hoping that he would be heard.

"Great Emperor, Lord of the Four Faces who sees all that happens upon the earth, he who is glorious and mighty, I pray that you hear your humble servant…"


	11. Solstice

Chapter 10: Solstice

 _June 19, 2041_

 _Somewhere between Earth and Mars…_

" _Tiananmen Square is in chaos today as members of the Celestial Emperor Society held demonstrations and protests in and around government buildings as well as the square itself with many clashing with riot police and local law enforcement. They have been calling for the removal of the Central Committee in order to initiate a transition of power and change in government from the current communist state to China's former monarchy, once controlled by the Emperor. The cult has apparently existed in various forms as an underground anti-communist group for nearly a century since the Republic's founding but only recently surged in popularity with the Message that was broadcast to the world five months ago. Since then their ranks have swelled with new members as an upsurge in populist sentiment has been sweeping China as well as many other nations in recent months. They believe that the unknown intelligence behind the Message which many have taken to calling 'The Visitor', is the Celestial Emperor and their ultimate leader. According to several sources close to the group many within the Society see the Celestial Emperor as a messianic figure who will return from 'heaven' to restore the rule of the Empire and bring about widespread social change and effective governance among other claims. The last Emperor Pu Yi was removed from power in 1945 following the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War with the People's Republic of China being instituted in its place. The Society considers this a usurpation of the Emperor's office and claims that when the Visitor arrives the Emperor will be restored to his rightful place as ruler of all China."_

" _-British Parliament was suspended today on the eve of the summer solstice to allow members time to visit their families before the event takes place sometime tomorrow. Most government offices will remain open during the day but expect to close early in the wake of-"_

" _The French Prime Minister remains cautiously optimistic in the face of riots and hysteria which has been gripping much of France in recent days as the event draws near. Police and even branches of the military have been called in to assist with-"_

" _Saudi Arabia's armed forces as well as other Middle Eastern nations continue to be on high alert and will remain so for several days in case the Visitor is deemed to be hostile or initiates hostilities. NATO forces have also taken up defensive positions around major military installations across Europe and say that the various nations' airborne strike forces will be ready to mobilize within minutes if necessary. Across the Atlantic the United States has confirmed that its ground, sea, and air forces are on standby and ready to take action if need the President has repeatedly stated-"_

" _The UN is expected to be in full session tomorrow with all members expected to attend. This is one of the few times the Security Council and all other nations have sent representatives to ensure their voice is heard during the proceedings. It is hoped that the Visitor will speak with the collective member nations regarding their intentions and-"_

" _North Korea's Kim Sun Ki has vowed to use 'immediate and overwhelming force' should the Visitor prove to be hostile to his country's interests or if any other nation attempts to use the Visitor's arrival as a smokescreen for any form of military action or covert operations against the small nuclear dictatorship. The Supreme Leader did not specify what means he would use to achieve this but with the regime completing their nuclear program in 2021 under Kim Jong-un despite harsh UN sanctions it is believed that nuclear weapons could play a role..."_

" _The Dow Jones and S &P 500 continue to fluctuate in the wake of recent events. The New York Stock Exchange as well as other global exchanges have already closed and will not reopen for at least the next 72 hours. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve confirmed that this is being done in order to give global markets a chance to stabilize before and after tomorrow's event and prevent a potential global market crash in response to possible hysteria on the part of investors. It is unknown how this event will shape the world markets in the weeks to come but many speculate-"_

" _The Anti-Christ shall come in the form of the Dragon! That old serpent known as The Devil and Satan and he shall deceive the nations of the world! For it shall be given unto him a mouth speaking great lies and blasphemies! He shall sway the people of the world to his banner and all men shall follow after him unto destruction! But you, my children! You must hold fast in the wake of this foul beast's wicked and empty promises! Stand firm against this great wickedness for the Lord shall be our shield!"_

"Well that's amusing." Davis remarked, his face holding a smirk as his solid holographic body stood in the throne room next to Prometheus and Arianasa. "I especially like the bit with China's cult. Seems like you have some eager and willing followers there already. I would love to see their reactions if you were to show up in Tiananmen Square in your dragon form, aura blazing all around you."

Prometheus snorted in amusement. "It would no doubt be amusing for several seconds until they all ran in fear of me. I doubt such an approach would be helpful in turning them to our cause."

"And the religious nuts?" He asked with a smile.

Prometheus rolled his eyes. "Obviously many such organizations will distrust me given their holy texts often refer to the enemy of god as a dragon or other such thing. I must remember to address that and not show any sort of preference for one religious group or another."

"You will have a lot to prove." Arianasa said with a sigh. "I'm glad we were able to use this time to discuss strategies and monitor events. The whole world seems to be going crazy in one way or another. Some look forward to tomorrow while many fear it. I only hope we can assuage their fears."

Prometheus nodded. "They are acting as I expected them to act. They are like frightened children searching for some sort of security as the figure cloaked in darkness draws near. But the light will show them that they have nothing to fear."

"I hope you're right." The silver Dragon replied in a fretful tone, her eyes gazing at the chaos displayed on the multiple holographic displays in front of them.

Prometheus rested a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

 _The next morning…_

Ash made his way through the throngs of people gathered outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, many holding signs either for or against what the various governments were doing in response to the day's event. The avatar had arrived in the city several days ago and had managed to acquire a pass to allow him free access and freedom of movement given his importance to the government over the last several months. He and other captains of industry had been called to the White House numerous times to discuss with the President and his Cabinet the ramifications of the 'Visitor's' arrival and what impact it would have on the world economy as well as the various sectors they controlled. Most of these meetings were not entirely productive as all of the others could only guess as to what would happen, given they did not know anything about the Visitor's intentions. However, they could give the men general updates on what they were planning to do in the near future in response to what the public was doing. Ash himself knew what would happen beforehand as he and Prometheus were constantly linked together but there was no need to tell the President that he was the eyes and ears of the Visitor on Earth. Still, he had been able to offer the President some advanced weapons technology that might come in handy if First Contact went pear-shaped and military force was required. The military top brass had been willing to take whatever they could get their hands on in order to appease their fears and Trans-Dimensional Technologies had been pumping out new next generation weapon systems constantly over the last four months. As the multinational corporation had similar contracts with various other countries around the world who also wanted similar security their other divisions had been focusing on weapon production as well. Normally such a process would have taken a year or two at least from planning to prototype and testing but given they already had the capacity to produce such weapons, it made them appear like miracle workers in the eyes of the various governments and the money had been flowing in by the boatload as a result.

Heading inside the building after showing his pass to security he made his way into the chamber of the General Assembly where the various nations' ambassadors would sit, the room already nearly full. Apparently many had wanted the meeting to take place in the Security Council chambers given their role in world security and peacekeeping but eventually it had been decided that all of the nations of the world should have an equal voice in this historic moment and thus it was going to be held in the place where this sentiment was most embodied. Ash looked about the large and grand room having never seen it before. The massive and tiered circular room was constructed almost like a modern church with rows and columns of comfortable chairs seated behind modern-looking desks, each seat having a permanent placard attached to the desk in front of it based on the name of whatever nation was represented there. The front of the room consisted of a circular dais in emerald green carpet upon which stood a podium and behind it a large judicial looking bench of white and black marble behind which three seats stood with the symbol of the United Nations done in bronze on a large plaque above it on the rear wall.

Several massive television screens were embedded in the walls and above the plaque, allowing everyone to see and here the speaker standing at the podium. Over the years this room as well as the other chambers in the building,had been upgraded to allow for more advanced technology to be incorporated into it. Each member nation had access to an audio feed for not only translation of a foreign speaker but also a direct and encrypted hardline communication link back to their home government if they chose to use it, allowing them to directly receive information regarding policy from those in charge. Holoprojectors built into the desks also allowed a country's leader to speak directly via teleconference in real time if they so desired.

Moving into one of the gallery seats near the back of the room Ash sat down, waiting for the spectacle to begin.

High above the planet the floating city began to slowly enter the atmosphere, angled to arrive off the eastern seaboard of the United States. As people around the city watched the sky, overhead they could see a dark spot appearing like an inkblot slowly spreading across a page. Voices began to rise in excitement and fear as the darkness grew larger and wider with the city sized structure slowly made its way to its destination. In the White House Situation Room the President was seated at the head of the table speaking quickly with his advisers and making sure the communication link to the U.N was established when one of the Joint Chiefs suddenly entered the room with the others following after him.

"Mr. President!" The man said quickly.

"What is it General?" The President asked.

"It's arrived." The man said simply as he took his seat along with the others.

The President sat forward in his chair. "Do we have visuals?"

"Aircraft have been scrambled to escort it but have orders not to fire except on your order or they come under attack." The man said. "We should also be getting live satellite feed in a moment."

Seconds later the large screen at the end of the room suddenly lit up with a real time overhead view of the massive structure slowly moving towards the ground with New York's urban sprawl in the distance. Every eye in the room grew wide as they laid eyes on the first example of an intelligently designed structure created beyond the bounds of Earth.

"My god…" one of the Generals muttered, "look at the size of that thing!"

"They actually built a city on top of an asteroid?" Another asked incredulously.

"Notice the shimmering in the air around it." A third commented. "Some kind of shielding I'll wager. Maybe something to hold in atmosphere."

"Let's hope it's the same as ours." One of the aides remarked quietly. "I'd hate to have them take their first step onto Earth and start suffocating."

"I'm sure they planned for that." The President said firmly. "You don't plan a long journey like this and not take into account things like different atmosphere and microbial life. That's common sense. I'm no astronaut but if I can think of it they surely did."

"If I'm not mistaken that looks to be a giant pyramid in the middle of the city." One of the senior aides suggested. "Seat of government or religious worship perhaps."

The others nodded thoughtfully. "Curious that they'd use something like that from our history." One of the Generals suggested.

"Or it could be as simple as wanting to use basic geometry." Another man said. "Notice the grid pattern of the walkways and the various buildings. All of them have geometric designs on them. This city was obviously laid out with a lot of planning and understanding of mathematics so a pyramid would hardly be out of place."

The others nodded thoughtfully while at the same moment, high in the air above New York, multiple fighter jets flew in a holding pattern above and around the massive city, their cameras taking several shots per second. Ostensibly this was to record the historic event as it happened but the pilots knew these pictures would be sent to intelligence agencies and data analysts across the country and possibly even the world to obtain any hard data they could on the massive structure.

Deep inside the megastructure Davis calmly watched the various planes buzz around the perimeter like groups of flies, a thousand sensors trained on their every move while just as many probed the airspace beyond for any signs of military assets being launched against them. The massive supercomputer was also monitoring as much terrestrial communications traffic as it could but the fact that every communication band and frequency was nearly at capacity it was difficult even for him to observe everything. Switching his focus he eliminated ranges used for civilian and commercial purposes and examined government and military bands in more detail, ready to alert Prometheus if there was even the slightest hint of comms chatter indicating an imminent attack. Within the pyramid itself Prometheus sat upon his throne, observing the multitude of holographic screens before him as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come. He would have but one shot to make a powerful and positive first impression with the nations of Earth and any mis-steps could prove disastrous to his goals. Most of the servants he had brought with him were remaining in their residences to watch the proceedings but were prepared to assist him at a moment's notice should he require it.

The structure slowed, floating two hundred feet above the city's Lower Bay. Within the Council chamber itself the representatives' eyes were glued to the various screens as they watched the several miles wide structure float there serenely, its metallic buildings glittering in the morning sunlight.

"It's not possible!" Ash heard someone nearby whisper incredulously. "Nothing that heavy could be held up and made to float like that! You'd need engines big enough to-"

"Quiet!" Someone else said to them in a harsh whisper back. "Secretary-General is speaking!"

The pounding of a gavel echoed throughout the large room as the current Secretary General of the United Nations stood, his European face displayed around the room on the various screens, flanked by the Under-Secretary and the President of the General Assembly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, heads of state, ambassadors and delegates, members of the press, and all others who are here today, I thank you for joining us on this most auspicious of occasions. Six months ago the world received a transmission from an unknown source. This message was broadcast in every major language and dialect around the world and all heard the same message. It was a message of arrival, of promise, of potential, and of peace. It spoke of what humankind could become and what the individual broadcasting the message could offer us in exchange for our understanding and our goodwill. Over the months that followed many have feared what this visitor could represent and what they might do should their words prove to be false. But all of us have waited, whether in fear or anticipation, with a sense of excitement and wonder for what will happen this day. As you all have seen the visitor has arrived as they said they would, and now we wait for them to contact us again. But before we open this meeting I ask all of you, here and now, for the sake of our future, for the sake of our children and all who come after us, to choose your words with respect, choose your words with restraint, and choose your words with honesty in mind. Never before in the history of the world has an event such as this occurred and we must be prepared to show this visitor what humanity can be when it rises to the occasion and works for the betterment of all. We must show them the virtues humanity can offer and that we are worthy of what the visitor has offered."

"Thank you." The man said, seating himself as the room filled with applause. .

Prometheus smiled, having watched the entire speech from his throne, before nodding at Davis. _And now it is my turn._

Within the Council chamber the screens on the walls suddenly came to life with bursts of golden light and static. Everyone in the room jumped at the suddenness of the sight before Prometheus began to speak in his deep, rolling voice, each of them hearing him in their native tongue.

" **Representatives of your world, I greet you in the name of peace. After the transmission of my message I watched from afar as you made your preparations to meet with me. I am aware of the forces and weapons you have made ready should you believe me to be hostile. While I am saddened that you felt these preparations were necessary I do not hold such actions against you, for I know it is only caution and pragmatism that inspired them. Mr. Secretary-General I heard your words moments ago and I am grateful that you have chosen the path of honesty and courtesy for it shows you are an enlightened people. As you see I have not appeared before you in physical form for in me there is no nation above another, there is no tongue above another, there is no people above another, all are equal to me. And yet, I would speak to you as a human being speaks to another human being, clothed in flesh and speaking with a human voice that I might establish a rapport with all who look upon me. To that end I would search out one among you who is willing and unafraid to be my vessel, my avatar, my mouthpiece."**

The Secretary-General looked around at the nervous faces in the room before speaking. "And what would this 'search' entail?" He asked carefully.

" **Speaking simply I would scan the minds of those in the room to determine their suitability for being my conduit. Are there any here who are willing to be that conduit?"**

Ash smirked inwardly as he saw the various delegates looking about at each other anxiously. Naturally all of them were unwilling to have their minds examined in any way for fear of the 'visitor' learning some state secret they held in trust or a personally embarrassing memory they would never want known to another person. Of course Prometheus would have no intention of searching out such secrets but the delegates had no way of knowing this, thus allowing him to be the only one to stand after a few seconds of uneasy silence.

"I will be the conduit for our visitor, if they find me worthy." Ash said solemnly.

The room erupted into furious whispers before the Secretary General banged his gavel several times for silence, looking at Ash piercingly.

"Are you quite certain you understand the potential ramifications of this sir?"

Ash appeared to think for a moment before nodding. "I am aware there are risks involved but I am willing to accept them. Many of us here hold knowledge precious to various governments but I have no such thing to hide, being a businessman and not an ambassador. I believed the visitor's message when they said they had no hostile intent and I believe that still holds true."

The Secretary General looked at him carefully for another moment before nodding. "Very well. If no one has any objections this gentleman will stand as the visitor's proxy and speak through him, assuming our visitor finds him suitable."

" **Let him stand before the podium that I may do so."**

Ash made his way to the front of the room to stand before the large audience while the Secretary General, Under-Secretary, and President moved from the bench behind it to chairs in the front of the room before the podium as was customary when a presenter spoke. A moment later the video screens went black and a swirl of silver and gold light surrounded Ash, seemingly making him gasp as his eyes began to glow white while his body went taut. There were multiple gasps and murmurs of consternation from the audience as they watched the young man's outfit transform into a spotless white suit with silver etching and gold tie. His face became more lined with age, his hair and goatee changing from black to salt and pepper before the glow faded though Ash's eyes continued to glow white. A moment later he smiled gently at them.

"I find this vessel suitable." He said in a firm and confident manner as he stood before them with his hands clasped loosely behind his back, the video screens lighting up once again to focus on him. "Rest assured that no harm has come to this man. Once I withdraw my presence his mind and body shall become his own once again with full knowledge of what has transpired."

"Allow me to formally introduce myself." He said. "I am known as Prometheus. I come from a world known as Oerth, from a universe different and yet similar to your own. Upon that world I am known as the Luminary of Innovation and God of Technology."

The room burst into frantic whispers again for several moments before Prometheus spoke.

"Long have I watched your world from afar as your society advanced. On my journey to you I observed you carefully. Many questioned the statements I made and the claims I offered in my message but I did not take offense for I did not provide any evidence of them at the time. But I say to you, in the days to come you will witness feats that confirm what I have said is the truth. I have watched and listened as leaders of your various religions denounced me as antithetical to their beliefs, yet in the days to come I shall prove to you that I am a true god. Many of you doubt that I can heal your world and bring your people together, but it shall come to pass if you are willing to accept me and my servants."

As the crowd murmured amongst themselves the Secretary-General spoke. "We look forward to seeing these proofs you speak of in the days to come Prometheus. But for the moment, if you are willing, we would ask questions to find out more about you and where you come from."

Prometheus nodded at this. "Ask your questions Mr. Secretary-General, but know that I may not answer all of them to everyone's satisfaction or not at all, depending on what I am asked."

The man nodded. "Fair enough. First, you say that you come from a different world and a different universe. Might you give us some examples of how it is similar to our own and yet different?"

Prometheus nodded. "I will be happy to do so. The world I came from is what you would call a medieval society. The lands are divided into various kingdoms with monarchs ruling over them and for many centuries technology did not exist there. There also exists, upon this world, what you would call magic. Wizards, sorceresses, and various others are able to tap into the weave of power that surrounds the planet and use it to shape reality to their will, at least to a limited degree. Upon this world there exists many races including human beings as you know them as well as other types of intelligent creatures. Above them all rule the gods who ensure that all aspects of reality function consistently and uniformly, allowing the planet and life to flourish. I am one of those gods. As society advanced and a technological revolution began I was chosen by the others of our pantheon to watch over its development and ensure such innovations did not harm the planet or its people as well as offer guidance and wisdom to those who desired it."

More murmurings filled the room as the members took all of this in before the Secretary-General spoke again.

"You said that you are a god. Might I ask what you mean by this? On our world we have a concept of gods but the definition can be fluid depending on what religion or belief structure is being discussed."

Prometheus smiled indulgently at this. "Of course. I have examined your faiths and the gods you worship as part of my study of you. While they are many and varied there are common themes among all of them, some of which I shall address here, and others later. Broadly speaking you define a god as an immortal being which has control of some aspect of reality, if not all of reality itself. A god creates a system of belief wherein they define who is a servant or follower of theirs and who is not. For those who follow such a god and serve faithfully, an afterlife is offered to them upon their deaths and those who do not serve go on to either annihilation or a different afterlife apart from that god and their followers. Do you agree with this?" He asked them, looking about the room.

As the sea of faces nodded he continued. "Then by these criteria I confirm that I am a god. I am an immortal and cannot be killed or destroyed by mortal means. I control an aspect of reality which I shall prove to you in the coming days. Those who serve me in spirit and in truth shall be granted eternal life in my realm upon their deaths and those who do not shall be denied such a gift. But more than that, allow me to explain what I am not, for many will condemn me for daring to claim divinity. I am not one of the gods from your world either from ancient history or modern times. I am not Yahweh of the Hebrews, nor am I Allah of whom your prophet Mohammed wrote. I am not the risen Christ of your Bible, nor am I Brahma, Zeus, Odin, Ahura Mazda, or any other god you have worshiped. Before your world and its people I refuse these names and titles so that you might know that I come not to deceive you, masquerading as one of them in secret. I am myself and no other."

* * *

 _Elsewhere…_

The General smiled grimly at the television set, watching the alien speak in front of the UN as he sat in the bowels of the Strategic Rocket Force's headquarters. In his hands lay a simple gold card with various characters stamped into it. Normally only one man in North Korea had the power to wield that card and the information upon it but the General had decided to expand that number to two, given that the order to launch would be passed to him anyway once the Supreme Leader had given him the command. He had been considering this plan for a long time but the imminent arrival of the alien menace had accelerated his timetable somewhat. Fortunately the Supreme Leader was unlikely to discover what had happened until well after the fact. For all of his brilliance at playing the leadership against each other the man was a fool in many ways. Totally convinced of his own infallibility and right to rule, he had made an endless series of poor choices that would reduce his country to begging for scraps from the rest of the world before long. One of these poor choices was keeping the launch codes for the country's nuclear weapon systems on a simple card he kept with him at all times. It had been a relatively simple matter to have one of his men infiltrate the palace, dressed as one of the Royal Guard, and slip the card from the man's pocket when he was otherwise occupied. He had been worried about his future should the Supreme Leader discover his treachery but this new development had only cemented his thought that this decision was the right one. No alien creature could possibly have his country's interests at heart and once it learned of them and their ways it would undoubtedly destroy them, not only to demonstrate its own might but to gain great favor with the other world powers.

His hand clenched around the card firmly. He would not give them and the world the opportunity they so badly desired! He had sworn an oath to defend this country and he would do so unfailingly!

Activating the terminal in front of him he typed in a sequence of codes known only to him and the Supreme Leader which activated the command and control system for the country's nuclear weapons. Entering the unique codes on the card into the system, it confirmed his authority to launch a moment later. Confirming on a map the coordinates he desired he quickly entered them into the system, the computer confirming them a moment later.

Finally it prompted him for a final launch confirmation.

With a grim smile, confident that even if he were executed for his actions he would die a loyalist to the Royal Family and the nation, he pressed the flashing button.

Across the countryside hidden underground silos opened their hatches revealing the ICBM's within. With a roar of fire the missiles shot from their launchpads into the air and up into the stratosphere.

* * *

 _PAVE PAWS Missile Tracking Station_

 _Beale AFS, California_

Alarms began to blare as the massive radar towers relayed data to the computer systems at the nearby installation.

"We have contacts! Six bogeys tracking east, origin North Korea! Estimate reentry in less than twenty minutes! Trajectories indicate target is New York!"

The Commander in charge of the base quickly scanned the radar displays in front of him before picking up a red telephone at his terminal that connected him to the Situation Room at the White House.

"Mr. President, this is Commander Williams at PAVE PAWS. We have an emergency situation that requires your immediate attention!"

In the Situation Room beneath the White House President Pierce's eyes widened as he listened to the Commander.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He exclaimed. "Now of all days...Jesus H. Christ! Link it here and keep me updated!"

The President's mind raced as he tried to find a solution, his eyes quickly glancing over to the briefcase a Marine was holding, the 'nuclear football' containing the launch codes for the country's arsenal, before looking about the room.

"North Korea just launched!" He announced to the room, making everyone sit up in shock. "Six missiles are on their way to New York and will be there in less than twenty minutes! I need options and I need them now! Can we shoot them down in flight?"

"Our automated missile defense system on the coast might get some Mr. President." One of the Generals stated quickly. "But we haven't been able to achieve 100% success in testing."

"I suppose we're about to find out aren't we?" The President asked heavily as another screen quickly lit up showing a wireframe of the continental US and the trejectories of the missiles as NORAD tracked them.

Rising up from armored bunkers the THAAD missile defense system immediately fired several rockets into the sky. Filled with chaff and EMP emitters they were designed to explode near an incoming missile and release its payload as well as generating a small EMP to disable the weapon's guidance systems, assuming the chaff and explosion did not destroy it entirely.

The men in the room watched as the rockets inched closer to their intended targets before small flashes indicated their destruction alongside three of the incoming missiles. The President turned to look at the others.

"Please tell me the ones on the east coast can take care of the rest!"

The looks they were giving him was not good.

"By the time they come within striking distance their warheads will already have separated and launched. They'll be too small for the system to track properly." One said despondently.

"Son of a bitch!" The President swore softly. "There has to be something…"

Suddenly something the Visitor had said clicked in his mind.

"Activate the projector at the UN where the meeting is happening!" He ordered an aide. "Do it now!"

In the chambers of the General Assembly Prometheus was answering another question when the holo-projector in front of the ambassador of the US lit up, displaying the head and shoulders of the President.

"Please forgive the interruption but this is of vital importance!" The President said swiftly, looking at Prometheus. "You stated that you are a god relating to technology! Do you have the power to stop intercontinental ballistic missiles?"

Prometheus gave a wary nod, his eyes narrowed. "I can indeed. I take it from your expression and your question that this is not theoretical?"

The President shook his head. "No, it's not. North Korea just launched six ICBM's from their country towards New York. We were able to take down three with our missile defense system but the others are going to hit in less than five minutes unless you can stop them!"

The room broke out into shouts and cries of fear as everyone stood preparing to flee. Gathering his power Prometheus sent forth his aura, making it erupt throughout the room.

" **SILENCE!"** He shouted, making every person in the room freeze in shock.

As they turned to look at him with wide eyes Prometheus gazed at them all firmly. "While I had expected to provide you with a demonstration of my power over technology at a later date, this foolish nation has given us an opportunity. Remain calm! You need not fear for I am with you now. Watch and see that my words are true."

Prometheus teleported away with a flash of bright light. Appearing in the sky over New York he transformed into his Dragon form before reaching out to Davis.

 _Are you still tracking the missiles?_ He asked.

 _Of course._ Davis replied in a slightly miffed voice. _Three ICBMs and their tracks confirmed. ETA three minutes._

 _Since the little man decided to make a spectacle let us turn this to our advantage._ Prometheus decided. _I could almost thank him for playing into our hands. I trust that all eyes are on me?_

 _The satellite overhead is trained on your position and the exterior cameras are capturing everything._ Davis replied. _Show time._

High in the air the missiles separated into their final stages before shooting forward, nearing New York airspace. Prometheus swiftly used a spell upon himself to increase his size several times as he quickly flew to intercept the warheads. Watching on various screens below the assembly gasped as Prometheus caught two of the warheads with his bare hands, the impact pulling him back several yards before he halted with his wings spread wide, the rockets still firing their last stage, his arms quivering slightly but holding them firm in his claws. As the last missile approached, Prometheus opened his mouth and from it emerged a blast of white hot plasma. The stream of ionized gas and flame incinerated the missile and its payload, leaving nothing but molten and radioactive scrap as the missiles he was holding finally disengaged, their fuel spent.

The Dragon god remained in the air for a moment, slowly flapping his wings, before releasing the missiles and using his powers to levitate them above his upturned paws, the remains of the third missile circling him slowly. Prometheus slowly floated towards the ground, the cameras and satellite tracking his every move, until he came to rest at the front of the UN building. Unwilling to wait any longer the horde of people quickly exited through the main doors, staring at Prometheus in disbelief as he gazed at them imperiously.

" **Do you believe now that I am who I say I am?"** He asked them, his deep voice rolling over them and sending shivers down their spines.

Snapping his claws the two missiles exploded outward while still floating in mid-air, showing their individual components as if he had created an exploded diagram of them in three dimensions. Allowing them to float for a moment he lowered his hands and the pieces fell slowly to the concrete with a series of loud clatters and thuds. Summoning the radioactive material to himself he surrounded the piles with spheres of liquid metal he conjured seemingly from nothing.

" **This will keep you safe from the radiation these devices emit."** He stated, " **Your experts will be able to confirm that these missiles came from North Korea."**

The Secretary-General slowly stepped forward. "This hardly seems the time for such a question," he said nervously, "but why have you chosen to be a...well...Dragon?"

Prometheus gave them a calm smile. " **In the Universe I come from I have many names. One of them is the Dragon Emperor. But if you find this form worrisome..."**

Allowing his body to be engulfed in golden light, Prometheus transformed back into the human form he had used earlier, standing before them with an air of supreme confidence.

"As you stand here before me I see fear in your eyes! But do not fear! Instead I bid you rejoice! Today this world has been spared a great tragedy! Several times over the last one hundred years this world has teetered on the brink of destruction because of weapons such as these and the foolishness of men but it need not remain this way! If you will accept my help this world will be healed! If you heed my counsel this world will know peace! If you will serve me in spirit and in truth this world will know greatness! Come to me all of you who are weary of the old ways! Who wish to see true change! For with me and in me is the seed of a new golden age!"

He paused to look about them for a moment, a compassionate look on his smiling face.

"In the days to come you will see more miracles, ones greater than this for this was but a small sample of my power. Take my words into your hearts and consider them all as you speak to your leaders and your peoples. Tell them of what happened here today and what I have promised. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, for I will give you succor and strength. Take my mantle upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls. For my mantle is easy and my burden is light."

Prometheus spread his hands in invitation as the sirens from emergency vehicles neared in the distance.


	12. A Knight's Tale

Chapter 11: A Knight's Tale

 _That voice...he could never forget that voice._

 _For years he had worked from the shadows, learning all that he could about this world. There was little magic here, no wizards or sorcerers except for ancient tales long since dismissed as foolishness and ignorance. There were no monsters here, no dark creatures as he knew them, nothing in the natural world that he could command instinctively by divine right, for such things did not exist here. There were no gods, there were no demons, there was nothing except the vastness of the void beyond the world, distances so great even he could not comprehend them fully. And yet, within the ethereal realm of frequencies and waves countless amounts of information and knowledge flowed, surrounding the planet and every inch of it with a deluge if one knew how to listen._

 _And he had always been good at listening._

 _He learned of their history. He learned of their ways. He learned of their secrets. With each passing day he became more confident, more sure of himself, as he slowly regained his footing and acclimatized to the new reality he found himself in. He believed he stood on solid ground._

 _At least, until he had heard the voice._

 _When the Anathema's voice had surged through every broadcast on the planet he had felt as if he had been briefly swallowed by a tsunami. It should not have surprised him as much as it did, after all he had come to the conclusion long ago that the Anathema's return was inevitable. When it would happen was something of another matter for even he, with all his power and knowledge, could not foresee that. He had been given much time and yet not enough for he was far from ready to command the reigns of power that controlled this world. Even so, there were strings he could tug upon, connections he had made in the years since his entrapment here. And so he would continue to watch and wait, to see what his hated foe did to present himself to the world and see what they would do in response. Men were nothing if not predictable and he had watched the world of men for countless centuries. When the moment was right he would strike. But first, he would need more knowledge about his enemy and his plans._

 _For it was his truth that knowledge was power._

The news spread around the globe within a matter of hours. How North Korea, seemingly threatened by the arrival of the Visitor now known as Prometheus, had launched several nuclear missiles against him and by extension, the United Nations. Newscasters and pundits barely know which to cover first, the fact that North Korea had very nearly started World War Three, nearly started a war with their first alien visitor, or the spectacle of the massive city-state floating near New York, its leader an apparent divinity who had decided to walk among them as a man as well as save their lives.

" _North Korea's Ministry of Information has released a statement regarding the launch several days ago. In it they state that the intended strike was a warning shot designed to show their willingness to defend their nation from what they perceived to be a possible invader. The statement went on to specify that the fission triggers within the missiles had been deactivated prior to launch on the Supreme Leader's orders and would not have resulted in a nuclear blast had they reached their targets. An independent investigation is underway to determine the facts of these statements given that two of the missiles and their inner workings were retrieved intact due to the quick actions of the Visitor known as Prometheus..."_

" _While such matters are beyond the wisdom of men,"_ a priest was saying into a microphone as he stood in one of the rooms of the Vatican, " _it is not impossible that another universe can have multiple gods. The Scriptures speak of the Lord having other flocks we do not know about but it is silent on other such weighty matters, such as other universes. Obviously the Visitor's statements must be examined carefully before we come to any conclusions…"_

" _The UN General Assembly is expected to meet with the alien visitor Prometheus today to continue their discussions which were interrupted several days ago. In other news the Russian Federation as well as many European nations and the United States have condemned the attempted missile strike by North Korea calling it a shameful and unprovoked attack on a nation with peaceful intentions. Russian President Vladimir Shoskin has stated that he hopes this recent development does not sour relations with the new arrival and has expressed interest in the possibility of trade agreements with the nation state, hoping that mutually beneficial agreements can be made on both sides."_

* * *

 _Unknown location,_

 _China_

Jin Longwei looked upon the crowds of people arrayed before him in the abandoned warehouse where they were meeting, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Brothers and sisters!" He called out to them. "Long have we waited for this day! At last the culmination of all our work and all our prayers have been answered! You have heard the Emperor speak! He his made his wisdom plain! You have seen his power and his majesty even in the face of rejection and violence! Such acts would never have been tolerated in the past but he is great in his compassion and boundless in his understanding! This is the Emperor we have been waiting for since the day the Communists threw down the last Emperor and ground our history into the dust! This is the Emperor who will lead us to glory and restore our Empire to what it should be! He has even spoken to us directly, calling himself the Dragon Emperor, and the form he used in the sky to defeat the North Koreans proves his words! He comes from Heaven to rule with justice and mercy! He comes to throw down the shackles of the old order and usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity! These are HIS WORDS my friends!" He exclaimed. "He said that those who worship him will be given glory! Let us prove to him that we are worthy of that glory! Pray to him my friends! Let us show him that we are his true servants! Let us show him that we are his people!"

The crowd roared as they cheered and stamped their feet for several minutes until Jin raised his hands, calling for quiet, his face becoming serious.

"Over the years we have staged protests and tried to force the Committee to change but we have seen they are unwilling to do so. They will not heed our message and may even ignore the Emperor's commands. But my friends, we must show the Emperor that we are not mindless brutes and mere revolutionaries!" He said earnestly. "We must show him that we are wise! That we know when to be hard and unyielding but also when to be humble and obedient! We make our stand in the square as we did before! But this time we will not raise our hands against the Communists! We will not demand they obey us for we do not speak for the Great Master! He is here now and we are his to command! Follow me, my friends!" He insisted. "When he arrives at the UN we shall call upon him and await his coming!"

Row by row the crowd followed after him as they exited the building, heading for Tiananmen Square.

* * *

"I don't see why you need to take one of the Knights with you." Arianasa was saying as they walked through the pyramid. "It's not like you need him for protection."

Prometheus smiled at this. "He is not for protection but rather to prove a point and hopefully make them think. My using a human form may have allowed them to see me as more human but my transformation into my usual form has caused some consternation among them. It is my hope that my Knight will help to alleviate those concerns."

The silver Dragon gazed at him quizzically but did not press further as Prometheus was approached by the Dragon Knight who was to accompany him, the figure dressed in full armor but bearing no weapon.

"Are you prepared?" He asked the figure, receiving a firm nod in return.

"Good. Then let us join them." He said as he teleported himself and the Knight down to the surface, having alerted the council of his impending arrival beforehand.

Light flared in front of the UN main doors as Prometheus and his guard arrived, Prometheus once again using his new version of Ash. Prometheus and his escort strode into the entrance amidst the large crowd that had remained outside the building to either protest against his arrival or shout encouragements. Moving to the General Assembly chamber he strode down the main aisle while all conversation ceased almost immediately. The Secretary-General banged his gavel.

"The floor is yielded to our honored guest Prometheus." He stated officially before he and the other two took their seats before the podium as the duo stepped up to it, the Knight standing a bit behind him and to the side.

Looking about at the faces Prometheus smiled warmly. "Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General, for reconvening on such short notice after the cowardly attack upon my person and upon everyone here. I must also thank all who have chosen to be here today in light of recent events for it shows your courage and willingness to do your duty in the face of uncertainty. I am more than willing to answer more questions about myself and my people…"

Prometheus trailed off, his glowing eyes seemingly unfocused for a moment before he spoke again. "My apologies but it appears there is a matter that requires my personal attention. For the moment I would like to have someone else speak as I had brought him here today for just such a purpose. I shall return soon."

He gestured to the Knight next to him before stepping back and allowing the armored figure to step up to the podium. A moment later Prometheus vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

 _Tiananmen Square,_

 _Beijing, China_

 _Midnight_

"You are ordered to disperse at once!" The voice shouted over the loudspeaker as riot police and soldiers stood ready nearby in case the crowd became violent. "You are creating a public disturbance and are not permitted to gather in this manner!"

"Emperor Prometheus!" Jin Longwei cried out in a loud voice, his face turned towards the star-lit sky as he held his arms out in supplication, kneeling upon the asphalt. "Your faithful servants call to you! Hear our prayer great Lord of Heaven and walk among us!"

Behind the man a crowd of hundreds knelt in orderly rows, filling the square with prostate bodies, each of them murmuring entreaties while the soldier standing before them with the loudspeaker frowned in frustration. The cultists were not offering any sort of violence or protest and it was the middle of the night so there was not as much traffic as there would be normally. Yet they refused to move even when weapons had been pointed at them. The man was quickly beginning to lose face in light of their passive resistance and was seriously considering firing either into the air to frighten them or even shooting a few to make a point when a blaze of light appeared in their midst. The soldiers shielded their eyes before staring in astonishment at the sight before them.

Sitting regally before them and the crowd was a golden dragon with chrome-edged scales easily forty feet tall, surrounded by a glowing aura of gold and silver light which illuminated the square. The soldiers instinctively brought their rifles to bear on this new potential threat but the massive creature seemingly paid them no mind, barely sparing them a glance before his aura flowed over them, making them stare in awe as their weapons clattered to the ground from nerveless fingers. Longwei's eyes grew wide at the sight of the Emperor before he prostrated himself to the ground.

"Great Lord of Heaven!" He exclaimed in relief. "You have appeared! The Emperor stands in our midst!"

" **Your prayers have been heard and answered Jin Longwei."** Prometheus stated with gentle gravitas. " **Even before my arrival upon this world your prayer reached my ears and the supplications of you and your companions here and now I could not ignore. I bid you stand, for I would speak to you face to face."**

The young man slowly rose, his posture still obedient as he gazed upwards respectfully to face Prometheus. A moment later he felt a vast and powerful presence slowly filling his mind as the Dragon sifted through his surface thoughts, learning of Jin's hopes and desires.

" **You and your people believe me to be the reincarnation of the Yellow Emperor."** Prometheus stated a moment later. " **But as I told the assembly at the United Nations I am no god you have ever worshipped in your history. I am not the Yellow Emperor of your past, nor would I pretend to be for to do so would dishonor his memory as well as all of you. Unlike many I do not deceive my followers nor will I pretend to be what I am not. But I see into your heart Jin Longwei and I see the hearts of your companions. I see the Yellow Emperor's legend and the greatness he embodied. I see the parallels between him and myself for I too created an empire and brought many esoteric arts to a land that knew them not. You desire to see the Chinese Empire restored to its former glory where all may be free and the Emperor rules wisely and well over you. I tell you that I too rule my empire with justice, compassion, and strength."**

Prometheus paused before looking over them all. " **I am not the Yellow Emperor of your past. But if you are willing to serve me in truth and in spirit I will be the Golden Dragon Emperor of your future. Swear fealty to me as your Emperor and you will be the first of this world to become my people."**

Jin stared up at him in awe before kneeling at his feet. "I pledge my life in service to the Golden Emperor." He said with reverence. "Let the words of my Emperor be my path and the mind of the Emperor be my own."

The men and women behind him quickly copied him, kneeling and pledging themselves to Prometheus.

Sensing the genuineness in each of them he smiled. " **You honor me with your sincere devotion, each and every one of you. Knowing little of me but what you have heard you reach out in faith and accept me as your Emperor. I accept your pledges and will not forget them, nor will I fail to reward that trust which is given unto me freely. An Emperor rules with absolute authority but rules with wisdom for the benefit of all his people. An Emperor rules with compassion, with justice, with power, and with mercy. He is to be the example to which all should look to and emulate that they might be perfect as he is perfect. While many Emperors of the past ruled well and attempted to live by the Mandate of Heaven they could not do so perfectly, for they were but mortal men, born of flesh and imperfect as all men are. But I say to you that I am able to bear the Mandate of Heaven perfectly; I am immortal, unbound by the ravages of time and the corrupting influence of power and desire. Rejoice and be glad for a true Emperor has come!"**

As the crowd began to cheer the soldier with the loudspeaker regained his scattered wits, glaring up at the blazing figure before him.

"How dare you!" He called out to Prometheus, much to the crowd's displeasure and the shock of his comrades who slowly began to step away from him. "You appear on our soil without invitation! You speak to these mad cultists as if they were reasonable men! They have plotted to overthrow the rightful government for decades and you heed their words?! You are no Emperor of China! And even if you held such a title the Emperor's rule no longer holds sway here! Are you in league with them?" He demanded. "Do you intend to destroy our great Republic on the words of a few anarchists?!"

Prometheus slowly turned his head to focus on the man, his gaze implacable. The man felt his body shiver on instinct as he felt the god's gaze bore into and seemingly through him before he spoke with a voice like living thunder.

" **I have seen the plight of the Chinese people for I have watched what goes on here, just as I have watched other nations all over the world during my journey. Many are impoverished and the State controls all to its own benefit and continuation of power. If your government is to fall it will not be by my hand but by the people whom the government is to serve, for they are the lifeblood of a Republic or an Empire. These men before you do not desire anarchy as you seem to think, nor do they wish to destroy this nation. Rather they wish for change. You are correct that I should not merely listen to them, however. The wishes of all who dwell in this land should be taken into account. But that is a matter for another day. For the moment these men and women before you pose no threat, nor do they intend violence against you or any other. Will you murder them like animals or will you allow them to leave in peace? They have achieved their goal for I have come and that was their foremost wish in coming here."**

The man wilted under the Dragon's stern gaze, carefully backing away, the soldiers and police doing the same as the crowd danced and laughed in the square.

* * *

 _Chambers of the General Assembly_

 _United Nations Building_

 _Earlier…_

"I thank you all for this opportunity to speak before you today." The Knight said in a bass voice as Prometheus teleported away, his voice echoing slightly due to the closed helmet concealing his features. "And what I wish to speak of is simple. It is the story of a man and his journey through life."

The Knight paused for a moment before continuing. "He grew up under the guidance and watchful eye of his parents, a man and woman both upright and honest, both of them farmers. Under their care he became strong in his youth for in those days much manual labor was required in order to plow the fields and tend to the harvests. His parents taught him all they knew about life but more than that, they instilled in him among many other things the virtues of hard work, perseverance, and honesty. When he came into his manhood he desired to see the world beyond for the town he came from was small and unnoticed. His parents were not wealthy but they had saved some money over the years and they allowed their son to take it and travel where he wished. It was their hope that he might become successful and they trusted his judgement, having instilled much sense into him from a young age. The young man travelled to the various cities to learn more of the world and on his journey he heard of a kingdom to the east that many praised. One day he saw a regiment of that kingdom's knights marching along the road ahead of him. Curious and wanting to speak with them he caught up with them and they spoke at length as they marched. The young man asked where they were headed and they replied that they were returning home after a battle. When the young man enquired about the battle, not having heard of it, they spoke further. They told the young man about how their Lord had instructed them to go to a deep and dark forest to the west where strange and unnatural events had been taking place for the towns and villages nearby had requested aid. When the knights arrived and scoured the forest they found a large band of horrific creatures that had captured various travelers and were torturing them for their own amusement as they divided the plunder between themselves. The knights immediately moved to help the prisoners and the creatures attacked them immediately for daring to interfere. Thanks to their armor and prowess in battle the knights swiftly put down the pack of creatures despite being outnumbered by them. The travelers and their goods were escorted to the nearest town where they were given aid before the knights departed."

"Having been impressed by their valor and inspired by the selfless deeds they had performed the young man asked to march with them in order that he might have the opportunity to join their ranks once they arrived at their destination. While the knights appeared unconvinced about the young man's chances they allowed him to join them and as the days passed they spoke of other matters. The young man learned that they were not merely soldiers who fought at their Lord's command; some had been assigned to guard towns and villages that could not defend themselves from outsiders wishing to take their lands from them. Others had been tasked with guarding travelers and ensuring the roads between the cities were safe while still others performed works of charity wherever they were needed. When they arrived at the city the young man sought out the garrison Commander, requesting to be given a chance to prove himself. The garrison Commander looked hard at the young man before he spoke."

"'Those who serve our Lord as Knights do not do so to revel in their own greatness or flaunt their own glory.'" He said firmly. "'They serve so that others might be lifted up, that their glory and greatness might be realized. If you would become a Knight then you must be willing to serve all who ask of you and perform even the most menial of tasks, for there is no task too low for a servant to perform. Once you have proven that your heart is that of a servant, then, only then, may you be considered worthy of training.'"

"The young man was no stranger to hard labor and unpleasant tasks for he had done such things on his family's farm since he was a child. Accepting the Commander's words the young man was inducted into their Order as a servant. For many days and nights he toiled, performing his duties to the best of his abilities and helping those of the Order with whatever they required. Many nights he retired to his bed with his body aching and sore and yet never once did he complain for this was the life he had chosen for himself. After many months of dull or hard labor he was ordered before the Commander of the garrison once more."

"'You have done your work well and you have done all that we have asked of you without protest.' The Commander said. 'Do you still wish to become a Knight?' He asked."

"The young man confirmed that this was still his heart's desire so the Commander continued to speak. 'Before you begin your training you should know that to be a Knight is to surrender yourself and all that you hold dear in service to our Lord. This means that you must place your duties and the commands of your Lord above family, above friends, and all prior oaths you may have taken. You must be willing to kill if it is required of you and you must be willing to give your very life if it is required of you in order to fulfill your duty. Are you strong enough to give everything in his service? If not you may remain as a servant and continue on as you have been. Search your heart carefully and speak the truth that comes from it, not what your pride would have you say, for there is no shame in a servant's honest labor. Many before you have come with the same desire in their hearts and yet here they remain, serving faithfully and held in our Lord's esteem for without such servants our Knights could not serve him as they do.'"

"The young man searched his heart carefully for the truth that lay within it before he spoke. 'I love my mother and father greatly and I do not wish to die.' The young man said. 'But if my Lord requires it I will bear that burden until my life is taken from me or I die in the fullness of time.' He said."

"The garrison Commander scrutinized him again before nodding. 'You have answered truthfully and with honesty from your heart and that is all that can be asked of you.' He said. 'The journey ahead of you will be arduous and painful but should you persevere to the end you will become a Knight as you desire. Before you become a Knight, however, you must first learn how to be a soldier for that is a Knight's primary duty. You have proven you have the heart of a servant. Now you must prove you have the spirit of a warrior.'"

"The garrison Commander did not lie. Months went by and the young man toiled under the harsh training the soldiers of the realm endured. Some were men such as him while others were creatures of various kinds from far distant lands, from furred canines that stood upon two legs to Orcs with green skin, and even those that appeared like Dragons but shaped like men as well. Their bodies were tested to the limits of their endurance for they were made to endure injury and engage in all forms of combat against a multitude of different foes. Their minds were pushed further than they had ever been before as they were required to think of unique or unexpected solutions to problems depending on the circumstances in which they found themselves. They were taught how to think tactically as well as strategically, to wield weapons of all kinds and fight in all forms of combat. Yet they were not only trained for war. They were taught how to save the lives of their fellows as well as civilians whether they be human or otherwise, to stave off death and heal wounds. They learned how to counsel each other when times became hard and their minds were near to breaking from the strain, and they learned how to care for others, from the smallest of children to the oldest of ancients across a dozen different races, for they were to be more than just warriors. Finally, at the end of their Trials, only the man and a few others remained, the others having departed in exhaustion, their minds and bodies unable to cope. At last, the man stood before the Lord of the realm, his body scarred and his mind strengthened. But even this was not the final testing for even greater trials awaited him."

"'If you would serve me as a Knight,' the Lord said, 'you must relinquish your old life for once you take my Oaths it will pass away like mist on the water. You will become my hand in this world, my will shall be your will, and whatever I command you will do. In the months to come you shall become greater than you are now, but that greatness must be tempered with sacrifice and that glory bound in service to others. You will face tragedy and terror you cannot begin to imagine and endure such trials as to make your prior efforts paltry in comparison. But should you endure you will be become greatness itself. Even now you may depart from this path if you choose and remain an officer of my military for you have proven yourself worthy of that and much more. However, the choice is yours, I will not decide for you. Speak your decision from your heart, not your pride, that it might go well with you.' The Lord stated firmly, 'for I tolerate no falsity or hubris in my presence.'"

"The man considered what he had been told for several moments before he spoke. 'I do not know what horrors lie ahead.' He said. 'I can only pray that my mind and spirit is strong enough to withstand them. All that I am has been yours from the moment I became your servant, my Lord. I am yours to command, even to death if you desire it. If you find me worthy of your Oaths I will take them.'"

"The Lord nodded then. 'You speak truly and wisely and thus I find you worthy. Take my Oaths and your final training will begin.'"

"Thus the young man swore the Oaths required of him. One of the kingdom's Knights, having been summoned to the ceremony, allowed his blood to mingle with that of the man's, binding him through blood freely given alongside ancient magic used in rituals and pacts that they might become blood-brothers and family. Time passed and as he trained he become something far greater than he had ever been for the Lord was true to his word. Through the arts of his servants his body became stronger, his flesh armored against the ravages of time and wear. His senses grew sharper, his mind became powerful. He learned skills and abilities granted to only a chosen few until he could easily stand against an army and emerge victorious. But such gifts came with a price for he was forced to endure hardships unlike any he had experienced. Much of them I will not relate for they would break the minds of those who are not strengthened against such horrors. But many times he was forced to stand against impossible odds, holding back a tide of death and destruction on a scale you could not imagine. One by one he would see his comrades around him fall and bleed and die until only he stood alone to try and halt the unending tide that came against him. Knowing that he could not flee, that death was certain, still he fought on until his life was taken from him. But even this was not the end for he found himself revived by the clerics of his Lord alongside his fellows. Taken from the battlefield and healed of his physical and mental wounds he was once again sent out to do his Lord's will, whether it be to do battle against horrors out of nightmare or deliver a gift to a child across the continent. He counseled others in their pain and grief and was given counsel in return for when the weight of it all became too much. Thus in time his training ended and he found himself back in the realm of his Lord, a smile on his Lord's face, for he had endured to the end. Thus he became a Squire of the Order and served alongside the Knight who had bonded with him. In time he became a Knight in his own right, able to lead the charge against any foe that would endanger his realm and train others as he had been trained. At the same time he was to many a beacon of light, of safety, of hope, and of compassion for those who suffered. Ever and always he was willing to give his all for any who needed aid, even those that most would consider beneath them. For though he had become great, he was still a servant of all."

The Knight paused in his story, looking about the room with every eye fixed upon him. As he began to open the locks that held his helmet in place he spoke once more.

"I am that young man who became a Knight and I have never once regretted being in the service of my Lord." He said. "I tell you my tale so that you might know the heart that lies beneath this face." He said as he removed the helmet.

The crowd gasped quietly as the Knight's reptilian features were revealed for the first time, his bronze scales glistening in the bright lights of the room, as his amber slitted eyes gazed upon them.

The half-dragon observed their reactions for a moment before he spoke. "You look upon me and find me disquieting, a creature come to life from the pages of your folk myths and legends. And yet, I stand here before you, ready to defend you against those who would do evil against you. You ask yourself why I would be willing to do such a thing, to defend strangers who find me disgusting or hateful to look upon. My story is my answer. Many would call me inhuman, a monster, something worthy only of exile or death. But I ask you, and all who see and hear me, judge for yourselves and decide in your own hearts…"

"What does it mean...to be human?"


	13. Initial Acquisitions

Chapter 12: Initial Acquisitions

 _Beijing, China_

Prometheus walked alongside Jin in his human form, adjusted to have more Oriental features and dressed in royal gold and scarlet robes of the Emperors of old, while the crowd followed at a respectful distance behind them as they left the square. His senses were scanning the area constantly for those who might try to harm or kill his new subjects but for now the police and other government forces were keeping their distance, being unsure how to deal with the situation.

"What shall we do now, your Imperial Majesty?" Longwei asked respectfully as the stars twinkled overhead.

The man was already astonished at the humility of his new Emperor, being willing to not only walk with them rather than in a vehicle befitting his stature, but alongside him as if he were an equal!

"For the moment we shall return to the place in which you have been meeting." Prometheus informed him. "I would have you and the rest of my followers gather together their families and all else they consider precious before returning to me. While you and yours have been an irritant to the government they will now consider you in open rebellion against them for having placed yourselves under my rule. I would ensure that all of them and all those they care about are safe before we begin enacting my plans."

"Your mercy and compassion know no bounds, Lord of Heaven!" Jin murmured fervently. "It shall be as you command!"

Turning back to the crowd Longwei quickly moved among them, giving out Prometheus's instructions. Prometheus himself turned to them and waited for Longwei to finish before he began to speak to them.

"You have each pledged yourselves to me with your words and in your hearts. Before you depart I would also fulfill that which I pledged to you. Come to me, all of you, to receive my boon and my blessing. In time I shall teach you to use the gift I bestow upon you to its fullest but for the moment, know that having received it I shall be with you wherever you go."

As the crowd slowly encircled him Prometheus transformed back into his Dragon form. As the crowd murmured in awe upon seeing it again his scales began to glow brilliantly until many were forced to shield their eyes. Dust-like golden light began to disperse from his body before it floated through the air and coated the people until their skin was covered in fine golden dust. A moment later it sank slowly into their skin and the glow from the Dragon faded before he became human again.

"Go now, my people, and do as your Emperor bids." He said kindly.

As the crowd began to disperse Prometheus and Longwei continued walking back to the warehouse where the Society met.

"I fear your Majesty will not find the accommodations acceptable." He said apologetically. "We did not expect for your Highness to accompany us."

Jin stopped in surprise as he felt the Emperor's hand rest on his shoulder. "I think you will find, Jin Longwei, that I am unlike any Emperor you have heard of." He said with a gently amused smile.

The man nearly fell to his knees in obsequiousness before Prometheus caught his elbow.

"I see into your heart Jin." Prometheus said with quiet seriousness. "And I know that you wish to do me the proper reverence. I also know that the Emperors of your past have required such things when subjects were in their presence. I too expect reverence and humility from my people when they come before their God-Emperor but I am also wise enough to know that such servility has a time and place. Here and now efficiency and swiftness must come before propriety. If you wish to consider it a command from your Emperor then do so, but time waits for no one and we have much to do."

The man inclined his head. "As you command your Majesty." He said before they moved on at a quicker pace.

The pair soon came to the large and seemingly abandoned building in one of the city's industrial districts. Ushering Prometheus inside the man looked about sadly at the ramshackle condition of the interior and the second hand furniture that was scattered about the large main room that had been cleared out for their use. Threadbare carpets dotted the concrete floor here and there with the roof consisting of simple sheet metal with a network of metal girders overhead, the windows near the top of the walls dirty from years of neglect and paint peeling from the plain square concrete pillars that stood about the room.

"This is no place for an Emperor." The man muttered despondently to himself.

"Then I shall make it so." Prometheus replied simply, catching the man's words. "A god dwells where he wishes and adorns it as he sees fit."

Prometheus stretched his arms out with his palms raised. Longwei watched in silent amazement as golden motes flowed from the Emperor's body like a shower of sparks. The scintillating dots soon became a flood with gold and silver light seemingly pouring across the floor like water. Jin backed away instinctively to try and keep out of its way but soon found the layer of light flowing around and under his shoes before reaching the edges of the floor and flowing up the walls, coating everything in its path.

The man watched with wide eyes as the liquid light flowed up to the rafters and coated the entire interior. After several minutes the glow began to fade and Jin gasped in amazement. The entire massive room had been cleaned and repaired with the cement walls covered in bronze and fine wood as well as strips of emerald marble. Inscribed into the walls in various places were silver glyphs and golden Chinese characters while the pillars had been rounded and covered in crimson with more gold calligraphy. The windows along the top of the wall had been cleaned and strengthened with tinting applied to them while the floor was covered in carpets of various colors to match the walls, the soft material inlaid with geometric symbols or complex fractal shapes atop an onyx floor. The furniture had been restored or reshaped into more pleasing shapes and traditional Chinese lanterns hung from the newly cloth-covered metal gridwork, bathing the room in a bright but warm glow.

At the closer end of the room sat a half dais of crimson and gold carpet upon which rested a golden dragon throne, each of the dragons' heads having gems for eyes and silver for their fangs.

Jin fell to his knees on the soft carpet with his head bowed. "Your Radiant Highness is the greatest in all of Heaven!" He exclaimed.

Prometheus came and stood before Jin with a quiet chuckle. "You will see greater miracles than these in the days to come, my servant." He assured him. "Return to your home and do as I have bidden the others. Now I must go, for I am expected to be at the UN, but do not fear. I have warded this place with my power that it might be a safe haven for you and all others you bring here. When my work at the UN is done I shall return."

"As you command your Majesty!" Jin acknowledged.

Prometheus vanished in a flash of golden light and Jin shakily stood, taking a moment to collect himself and take in the refurbished room before quickly leaving.

* * *

 _Chambers of the General Assembly_

 _United Nations Building_

"The Council of Kingdoms is rather akin to the august body before me, or perhaps your Security Council would be a closer comparison." The Knight was saying as he fielded questions from the various ambassadors. "The leaders of the major kingdoms meet at least once a year to discuss broad-ranging policies and actions that could impact the others as well as trends they have noticed or concerns they feel should be addressed to the entire group."

"I take it these policies and trends can cause...friction between the various leaders?" One asked.

The half-dragon smiled in amusement at this. "Not as often as you might think but of course there are a few who are always rather divisive in their decisions or who do not agree with the majority. The Theocracy of the Pale immediately comes to mind. They are a somewhat...insular people and do not always appreciate the views of others. After all, no one likes being told how they might run their own house." He suggested, making the room chuckle a bit.

The Knight was about to answer another question when Prometheus reappeared in a flash of light behind him, making many jump in surprise. The Knight bowed to him before relinquishing the podium.

"I trust my Knight has been able to entertain you in my absence and provide you with some thought-provoking commentary." He suggested calmly.

"Where _did_ you go?" The Secretary-General asked curiously.

"Some of my newer followers were in need of assistance and I decided to meet with them in person to help them resolve the matter." Prometheus replied dismissively after a moment's pause. "As many of you still have questions I will be glad to continue answering them and I would also like to extend an invitation. All of you are no doubt curious about the city I arrived in and would like to know more about it as well as what life is like for those who serve me. To that end I offer the following: let each nation choose an ambassador to represent them that they might be brought on board my city-ship. There they can see what life is like in my realm and speak with my people as they please. They will, of course, be allowed to record their trip that it might be shared with others." He said with a knowing smile, fully aware of the planes that were constantly swirling about the city.

The crowd murmured thoughtfully for a few moments before the Secretary-General nodded. "Of course we appreciate the offer. I cannot speak for all present but I am certain the various nations will be providing my office with such information soon. To facilitate communications it would be best if an embassy or an office at the UN building could be established as well as setting up embassies within your city but that will take some time to complete. Is there a way we can reach you directly to inform you of the list's readiness and any other matters that require your attention?"

Prometheus smiled at their naivety before nodding. "One of my people shall remain here as a point of contact. For now it shall be the Knight I brought with me today but in future it may be others. Let any requests be sent through this organization to me for the time being. In the meantime I shall be setting up a temple nearby."

"A temple?" The man asked uncertainly. "I suppose that would be possible though I would think an embassy would be more appropriate. There are various forms and building codes that-"

"Mr. Secretary-General," Prometheus interrupted with a slightly cool tone, "do recall that I am no mere nation or country hoping to be granted a seat in your General Assembly or Security Council. I am here for the benefit of the entire world and a god is not worshipped nor are its servants found in an embassy. They are found within a temple or church. If you must have one my embassy currently floats in the sky nearby. I will be more than happy to allow other nations to create offices there, but there will be conditions." He said firmly before his face softened. "However, I am certain that these are simple matters that can be addressed with my priesthood and ministers. I am no stranger to such things and neither are my servants."

The Secretary-General quickly regained his color and composure before nodding. "Very well then. We shall be in touch on those matters."

Prometheus nodded. "As you say so shall it be."

Prometheus remained a while longer answering various questions before the Assembly adjourned. Departing as well, Prometheus materialized upon his throne in China, swathed in golden robes while the dragons' mouths roared, their eyes glowing. Before him in orderly rows sat the members and families of the Society, all of them viewing Prometheus's meeting at the UN on smartphones or small hand-held televisions as they sat on cushions or pillows they had brought with them. Upon his arrival Jin barked a command and they prostrated themselves before their Emperor, their foreheads pressed against the carpet.

"Rise, my people." He said.

The group sat back as Prometheus gazed upon them contemplatively for a moment.

"Organize yourselves in a semicircle before me." He requested as he stood, shedding his golden robes and letting them fall onto the throne.

As the people moved their pillows and cushions about Prometheus stepped towards them, clad in a simple white button down shirt and dark slacks. He sat cross-legged in the middle of the semicircle with the people sitting a moment later.

"Close your eyes." He said quietly, looking at the group.

The people immediately did so and a moment later Prometheus confirmed the nanites within the room had attached themselves to the brains of the newcomers that had arrived in his absence. He began to speak with the group through the tiny receivers in their heads the nanites had constructed.

~~ _Behold the power of the boon I have bestowed upon you._ ~~ He said to them.

The people gasped in quiet astonishment as they looked up at him in surprise before quickly shutting their eyes again, mindful of their Emperor's command.

~~ _Part of my being now resides within you and allows you to hear me just as I may hear you. You may also communicate with each other in this way with practice and time. You will also find that in time your bodies will grow stronger and more vital. Should you prove yourself worthy of becoming one of my priests you shall be given greater blessings and even command power in my name. But take heed lest your pride and desire for glory overwhelm your common sense. Those who would serve me I hold to a higher standard and all that you do, whether hidden or in plain sight, I shall know of. Know that nothing can be hidden from me for I am your god. Your minds, your thoughts, your deeds, and your words, all are known to me._ ~~

Sensing their emotions beginning to rise in fear and in many cases shame he continued.

~~ _Be at ease my people. I know all too well the darkness that lies within all of you, the memories you would rather forget and deeds you would not bring into the open, but I also see the light within you. I see the good deeds and kind words you have done and spoken. The ancients knew well that darkness and light coexist within each human being and there is none that are perfect. Even so, all should strive to better themselves, to become greater than they are so that their full potential might blossom. In this way you enable others to become greater in a cycle that perpetuates throughout time. The past cannot be altered but the future holds limitless potential and each of you decide what it will be based upon your will and your deeds each and every day. Each and every day you have the opportunity to become something new, to learn from the mistakes of the past and become something greater as a result. I shall be the catalyst, the fire, that ignites that newness within you. Serve me in spirit and truth and the shackles of your past shall be broken for in me is freedom, wisdom, and innovation. Within me is the power to create what you dared not dream of for fear of retribution or ridicule. All have fallen short of glory but all may attain it in me if they are willing to obey my commands and endure to the end. That is the message I preached to the world before my arrival and now I extend it to you. Send your thoughts to me as if you were attempting to project them beyond yourself and I shall hear them. Send your thoughts to others as well so that each of you might practice._ ~~

Slowly and with some difficulty they began to practice and he began to hear their mental replies as they practiced speaking to him and each other, his gentle voice guiding them through the process.

~~ _Good. It will become easier in time. For now I would have you go amongst those whom you know and trust, your friends and allies. Speak to them of what I shall teach you and become my messengers to the people of China for through you and through those I send with you shall my message spread. Many will have heard my words through the media but they will not be sure whether I can be believed or trusted. But you, my witnesses, you shall be my proof._ ~~

~~ _Open your eyes._ ~~ He commanded them gently.

The peoples' eyes opened and they gasped softly at what they beheld. Floating between Prometheus's cupped hands was a swarm of nanites and multiple pieces of glowing golden and silvery liquid metal circling about each other. As they watched with rapt attention the various parts began to link and connect together to form a seamless silver sphere the size of a baseball with the icon of a gold dragon imprinted upon it.

"A device created by me." He said quietly as he gestured and it began floating smoothly around them. "It has many functions and there is nothing like it on Earth. When those you speak to wish to see proof that you come in my name you may show them this. Each of you shall receive one and it shall be my token for you to use as you see fit."

Summoning the ball back to him it floated in front of him for a moment before he mentally commanded it. The crowd murmured in astonishment as they watched it unfold and wrap around Prometheus's outstretched hand, creating a silver and gold glove before shifting once again and becoming a long chain. Changing yet again it became a small statue of him before changing back into its original form.

"The device is commanded mentally through the boon I have given to you." He explained. "But it is also linked to me. Command it what you wish it to do and if it is within the device's capability it shall do so. Be aware it can only create simple solid objects the same size as itself but it can take many forms. Practice using them and think on ways you might use this gift."

"What if they are taken from us by force or stolen Great Majesty?" Jin asked.

Prometheus smiled calmly at this. At his mental command the device fell to the floor in a small pile of metal which quickly seemed to break apart before their eyes before being absorbed into his hand.

"These devices are mine to control as I see fit." He explained. "Without my boon they cannot be commanded and I shall know what becomes of them at all times. The technology within them is far beyond this world's current understanding. Rest assured no one can misuse it."

As he continued to create more of the floating orbs he began to teach them.

"The power of technology is great and it has the ability to do the miraculous. But as your history has shown it can also be used for dark purposes. Though few are willing to admit it humankind is flawed and seeks its own desires first. Even as the planet has undergone disruptive changes these last years those in power still cling to the old ways, hoping to hold on to their prestige and wealth a while longer while the poor and defenseless suffer. I would see this world change."

He looked about at them. "I have the power, the wisdom, and the technology to heal this world and mend its wounds but I cannot do so without your help. I have my own servants from my own world and many will help but it will not be enough for your world is vast and its people divided. We must bring unity of purpose and will to all peoples, not just those of China, though that will be the first step in our journey. I shall be calling others to my side from other nations and peoples but you are the first. In time every nation, tongue, and tribe shall follow after me and when that happens humankind will at last become what they were destined to be. The stars themselves will be within your reach and the galaxy itself will be your domain. Further still shall you reach, grasping at even greater realms and even beyond this universe for there are many others you do not know of. Infinity itself will be open before you!" He said with quiet passion, their eyes fixed on him with eagerness.

"But for now," he said with a smile, "we must focus on this world and its needs. The first steps are the most difficult but the most important. You must learn to walk before you can run and with my guidance it will happen."

"Great Majesty…" Jin said hesitantly. "In your message months ago you said that...there was life beyond death…"

Prometheus nodded as he looked over at him. "You wish to see proof of this my son."

The man bowed his head. "I do not wish to impose upon you Lord of Heaven, forgive your servant...your word alone should be enough for me."

"They should be enough for you, yes." Prometheus replied mildly. "But you do not know me well yet so I take no offense. In time you will see that I spoke the truth in all things when I sent that message across the stars."

Jin looked up to see Prometheus smiling gently at him. "Have faith my son. That is all I ask."

The man bowed low in reply.

* * *

 _Château de Pregny,_

 _Geneva, Switzerland_

The white stone manor stood grandly amidst the well-manicured lawns with nearby greenhouses filled with exotic flora, stables filled with fine and rare breeds of horses, and intricately sculpted gardens in full bloom. The great house had been in the Rothschild family for over a century and it was here that the family's most important and influential members had gathered at the request of their patriarch. Seated in the main family room surrounded by mahogany walls and marble busts along with various paintings depicting other powerful Rothschilds through the centuries the group of men and women sat in deliberation. Off to the side David Rene's aid Richard watched them argue back and forth with a barely concealed smile of disdain. They were like children, bickering over such absurdly mundane things when there were far larger considerations at play. Listening with half an ear he allowed his mind to wander back several years ago when he had first begun to play the intricate and shadowy instrument of politics…

The party at the White House was in full swing as the orchestra played in the background. Trim waiters slipped between partygoers in fine tuxedos and gowns carrying trays of expensive champagne. Dressed in a black suit and crimson tie Richard made his way across the floor, his eye scanning the faces in the crowd as he moved. Spotting his target he smiled with dark anticipation as he made his way towards the white-haired bespectacled man in a tuxedo who was speaking with a foreign dignitary.

"Mr. Henry Kissinger." Vance said warmly when the two paused in conversation. "Pardon my interruption but Senator Caldwell all but insisted I meet you. I have heard so much about your _exploits_ over the years as Secretary of State that I could hardly resist such an opportunity as this."

"It appears you have a fan Mr. Kissinger." The Arabian man said with a thin smile. "Feel free to call me later if you wish to continue our discussion."

"Yes, thank you Abdul." Kissinger said before the man stepped away. Kissinger turned to Richard with a hint of a frown on his face. "So, Senator Caldwell recommended you to me?"

"He did indeed sir." Richard replied pleasantly with a smile. "He assured me that you and I have much to discuss and that you could be of assistance to me."

Kissinger raised an eyebrow at this. "I see. And you are?"

Richard chuckled at this. "Oh dear, my apologies. Richard Vance, I am an...unofficial adviser to the Senator. I'm quite sure you haven't heard of me so I take no offense. I tend to...stay in the background quite often."

Already regretting the interruption with this apparent flunky but too polite to back out Kissinger nodded, hoping to get the matter over with quickly. "And what can I do to help you then?"

"I can see you are already wishing to return to the party Mr. Kissinger so I will be brief and to the point." Richard assured him with a calculating look. "Your time as Secretary of State has afforded you the opportunity to meet and make friends with a great many people, most of them quite influential. I would like an introduction to one such set of people if you would be so kind."

Kissinger frowned in consideration at this. "That's all you need? An introduction?" Perhaps this would be easier than he thought.

Richard's smile grew slightly at this. "To start with yes. But I have a feeling I will need to meet more than just these people in the future. I trust you can help me with that as well."

Kissinger's frown deepened into annoyance. "I think you'll find, sir, that I am not a doorman to various people's lives. I do know quite a lot of people and I do have many friends but they would not be my friends for very long if I started introducing random strangers to them of whom I know next to nothing. I'm willing to assist you with the single introduction you asked for as a favor to the Senator but that is as far as I'm willing to go unless you can provide me with a very good reason as to why you should meet these others."

Richard's smile suddenly became quite shark-like and Kissinger suddenly felt anxious sweat popping up on his forehead, had not felt for many years having dealt with world leaders of all types. The man in black stepped a bit closer, enough to nearly invade his personal space, and the room suddenly seemed much more restrictive and stuffy.

"I think you will find, Mr. Kissinger," Richard said in a low and dangerously confident tone, "that it would be in your _best interests_ to assist me with whatever I might need in the future."

Suddenly he felt a piece of paper being pressed against his palm. Kissinger looked down as his hand reflexively clenched around it, confusion seeding itself within his mind as he hadn't even seen the man reach into a pocket. Morbidly curious and slightly unnerved by the man's piercing gaze he opened the small folded square of paper.

On it was a date and a series of words.

Kissinger's face paled as Richard's smile grew almost gleeful in triumph.

"I trust you remember that day Mr. Kissinger and what occurred." Richard said with dark relish.

"How...How could you…" The man stuttered in stunned disbelief.

"How could I know what transpired on that day, in that room, when it was only you and a select few people you trusted implicitly?" Richard asked tauntingly, his face now completely predatory. "I know a great many things Mr. Kissinger. Things about you and things about others, Senator Caldwell being but one example."

Kissinger looked up at him in shock, the man's eyes as sharp as surgical knives as Richard continued in the same tone. "Things that you and he would most certainly not want brought into the light of day. Being Secretary of State gives one a great many privileges Mr. Kissinger, but it also tends to create some very dangerous and disturbing skeletons. Ones that could ruin a man's career and livelihood if they were ever to get out."

"How dare you!" Kissinger hissed through clenched teeth as he attempted to master himself. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone-"

"And what will you do Mr. Kissinger?" Vance asked him mockingly, completely unruffled by the man's veiled threat. "I assure you, whatever paltry ideas your feeble mind could conceive of I have already considered and made multiple contingencies for! I did not get to where I am by being a fool, Mr. Kissinger, and you will not be the one to bring me down, that I can promise you!" He swore with a sibilant and utterly confident tone.

Kissinger swallowed heavily as sweat trickled down his spine, glancing at the paper one more time before looking up at Vance's cruel smile. "Who do you want to speak with?" He asked carefully, thankful that at least his voice didn't quiver.

"Baron David René Rothschild." Vance stated smoothly, his posture and face a bit more relaxed and jovial than before. "I expect a _glowing_ recommendation from you within the next few days. Do ask the Senator for any particulars you might need regarding my...background and expertise."

"Have a pleasant evening Mr. Kissinger." Vance said with a dark smile before striding away, leaving the flustered man staring after him.

The meeting had been swiftly arranged and had gone well. Impressed with his background and keen understanding of business as well as his analytical skills David Rene had invited him back for a few more meetings. After he had successfully predicted several short term trends based on nothing more than standard data the family's holdings collected in order to conduct business he had been asked to stay on as an adviser to the man with nary a threat or hint of blackmail needed. Over time he had proven indispensable to the man as he had increased the family's already substantial wealth and influence to levels they had not seen since the 19th century and Kissinger had been quite willing to introduce him to others in the various circles of power and influence he moved within.

Smirking inwardly Richard returned to the present in time for the Baron to begin speaking again.

"Regardless of his actions in Beijing, Nathaniel, I do not see him suddenly overturning the various natural resource industries unless he can somehow turn lead into gold." The man smiled.

"And that is my point!" The older man retorted. "He claims to be a god! Who knows what powers he has! He could very easily decide tomorrow to give everyone gold necklaces and diamonds as gifts out of nothing! Our mineral rights and holdings would become worthless almost overnight!"

David shook his head. "He says he has been watching us for some time and that he himself rules an empire. He must have an understanding of industry and economy if that is the case. Unless he had that city built with slave labor I do not think we need worry about such things."

"Then what should we be worrying about?" His sister Lynn asked tartly.

Richard suddenly spoke up, focusing on the female media mogul. "He is already upsetting the social order with his decrees and actions. Not that he has done anything terribly offensive but the sheer fact of his existence and claims have created uproars. People will be looking to him to solve all their problems; a god come down from heaven to save them from their mediocre and short lives. As a result our own power and authority may well diminish. We must work to forestall that if possible and hopefully prevent it entirely."

"And how, exactly, do you expect to stymy the plans of a god?" Leopold, another of David's brothers, asked snidely. "I thought you were beyond such foolishness Mr. Vance."

Richard held up a peaceful hand at this. "We must take care how we think of him." He cautioned. "He claims to be a god and he has done some amazing things, I grant you. But he has not transformed the earth into a paradise with a wave of his hand. He has not upended reality with a thought. You think of a god and conceive of an all-powerful being as your scriptures describe but so far as we have seen he is not that. He is powerful but this family has dealt with those in power before and survived. It can do so again, even against a creature such as that. We need only learn more of him and his weaknesses as well as his intentions."

"The tour he mentioned." David said with a nod. "He called on various heads of state to send representatives to him. Let us do the same, unobtrusively of course." He said, glancing significantly at Richard.

The one-eyed man frowned in concern at this. _If I were to go anywhere near the place he would sense me immediately. He cannot be allowed to know I am here. Not yet..._

"I think not." Richard said evenly, leaning back in his chair. "Nor do I recommend any of us go. After all, we know he has the ability to scan the minds of others to some degree. I doubt he would take kindly to learning we plan to disrupt his own plans here. Send an intermediary instead, one who is reliable and intelligent enough to know what to look for but unaffiliated with us."

The others nodded thoughtfully at this. "A sound plan." David agreed. "There is a man I have used before from Lindhurst Security when I needed some matters dealt with. Clarence is capable, clever, and can be discrete if need be. Just as importantly the company acts as the intermediary, he will have no idea who his client is, only that someone requested his company send him as an investigator."

"Then let us hope the creature does not scan the minds of the company's officers." Leopold grumbled.

David waved a hand at this. "If he can casually read the mind of any person completely, no matter where they are, then there is little hope for us anyway. This matter will be difficult enough without such self-defeating talk. J will get in touch with Lindhurst and organize it. Now let us move on to other matters…"


	14. City-State

Chapter 13: City-State

 _Two months before the summer solstice,_

 _Interstellar space..._

Deep within the massive floating city below layers of rune-inscribed bedrock, lead-lined concrete, and exotic titanium alloy a small group sat in executive chairs around a hollow oval-shaped table done in rich wood. Above the center of the table floated an ocean blue real time wireframe of the Earth and its continents with nearly a dozen holographic screens surrounding it, each displaying one or more news feeds from around the globe as well as scrolling documents from the planet's internet.

"I have to say," Arianasa remarked dubiously, looking at the various news feeds floating before them in what they had termed the 'Situation Room', "from the way you spoke of your homeworld I expected it to be in better condition. The few times we went to California years ago it was much nicer."

Ash nodded, the Dragon's avatar represented by a full color real time holographic display that showed him sitting in one of the other chairs. "Sadly the world has been in decline these last twenty years. Every year things got a little bit worse even with our help. When we first started the company this is not how I envisioned things to go."

"Nor did I." Heaven's Light stated flatly, the nordic AI's face filling another screen as her brow scrunched seemingly in consideration. "The level of pushback we encountered regarding our various technologies was higher than anticipated."

"Can you elaborate on that?" Beowulf asked, thoughtfully nibbling on a claw.

"Admittedly the first few years saw great interest from various military and industrial sectors globally regarding our clean fuel and alternative technologies as well as our medical advancements." Heaven's Light explained. "However before they could become more mainstream various political factions within the government as well as neo-conservative grassroots organizations began campaigns opposing these new products."

"On what grounds?" Arianasa asked in confusion.

"Safety concerns for the most part." Heaven's Light replied. "They suggested that the potential for widespread destruction and loss of human life if our power cells or reactors ever malfunctioned was considerable, comparing to a miniature Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. Naturally we rebutted such accusations but the specter of nuclear energy and its destructive capabilities were still on people's minds even though the technologies are quite different."

"In other words they launched smear campaigns against us." Prometheus stated flatly.

"Surely any evidence they might have conjured up could have been disproven." Arianasa protested quietly.

"Of course." Heaven's Light replied. "But disinformation and repetition of talking points seemed to spread the more we attempted to refute those claims. The saying that a lie can spread halfway across the globe before truth can tie it's laces is sadly, quite accurate. Moreover, people often believe what they wish to believe and surround themselves with like-minded people who reinforce those beliefs whether they are true or not. Some suggested that we offer up the schematics of our technologies if we really wished to prove they were safe but doing so would violate trade secret laws and could leave us open to inferior and potentially dangerous copies of those devices. Naturally we declined but that only reinforced the image that we were more concerned with our bottom line than the safety of the public."

"Which is what they no doubt intended." Davis remarked. "It would have been a losing situation for us no matter what we did and they knew it."

"Who is 'they' exactly?" Beowulf asked with a sharp look. "Do we have any information on who started this pushback?"

"Various senators and representatives within the Congress." Davis replied. "All of them with a history of right-wing policies so it was hardly surprising. Even now they only have a limited understanding of even the most basic of technology and they seem to be intent on wallowing in their ignorance. The petroleum conglomerates also had a hand in it, stalling the creation of infrastructure and pulling their own strings in various agencies they had influence in. A few states including California have the infrastructure for our fuel cells in place but not enough to mainstream things."

"And the rest of the world?" Arianasa asked.

"A few countries have been supportive of us but Europe's fears were not about the safety of our technologies but rather our growing influence in the global marketplace." Ash explained. "After several years we had become a multi-national, multi-billion dollar corporation that had a higher income stream than the GDP of many third and second world countries due to our various military contracts. Many in the EU feared we were becoming too powerful and too large considering we had contracts with many different militaries around the world. The possibly of us becoming a global monopoly in various markets was real given that no one else had been able to truly replicate what we were creating on the same scale and level of quality. Also, a rumor began to spread that we had created back doors in our more advanced weapon systems that allowed us to remotely override their operator's control and use them how we wished. Once again we refuted those claims but we had no real way of proving otherwise without baring all of our technical designs to the public and even then we would have been accused of doctoring them or leaving the back doors out of the documents. Simply put we were too big for our own good." He admitted.

"Eventually as the global climate pattern began to alter itself due to previous decades of carbon emissions people began to focus more on basic survival needs rather than the latest technology." Heaven's Light continued. "At first the weather simply became more unpleasant with greater extremes of temperature in the summer and winter months. However even that had an impact on things such a forest fires, heat-related illness, and snowfall predictions. Eventually the standard weather patterns seen around the year became unstable leading to unpredictable growing seasons and changes in soil viability. Previous regions that were capable of producing large amounts of food each year found their ability to do so dwindling as time went on. The partial melting of the polar ice caps also greatly impacted coastal cities including our main shipyard in California due to severe flooding. Venice in Italy eventually became greatly submerged. Poorer countries were even harder hit given that they had no ability to prevent the floods in those areas. All of this created several humanitarian crises over the last ten years with mass migrations of various peoples across the globe leading to border disputes and even multiple local wars in the middle east, southern Asia, and in Africa. All of this has led to the stalling of our more benign product lines that were poised to create a paradigm shift in various markets. We were forced to shift our focus to humanitarian aid and devices like easily portable water purifiers, self-expanding sea walls, and sanitation facilities. Not that we were reluctant to do so of course but the fact remains that the company has been operating at a deficit for several years due to the inability of the various governments to pay their bills with few exceptions. The windfalls from the various military contracts we had in the past and still have ensure we have a large amount of capital remaining as a backup for operating costs but eventually it will run out. Fortunately Prometheus's broadcast has created new demand for next generation military hardware so the company is not hurting at the moment."

"So what do we do about all this?" Arianasa asked in concern. "We cannot leave these people to their fate purely because they were ignorant of the damage they were doing."

"Indeed we shall not." Prometheus agreed. "This world will need a great deal of healing and we will be in a position to facilitate it but we must first gain their trust or it will be much more difficult to aid them. The best way to do that is to let them see us as we truly are in our homes and how we live our lives."

"Will they not believe it is all an act or a show put on for their benefit?" Beowulf asked. "We are all of us your followers after all. They will accuse us of being biased or instructed to paint everything in a positive light."

"Some will no doubt accuse us of this, yes." Prometheus agreed. "We shall do what we can to convince them otherwise but some will refuse to be convinced no matter what we do. But our energies must focus on those we can help and convince. This is what I propose..."

* * *

 _Now…_

A month had passed since Prometheus's offer at the UN and the various governments had been scouring their diplomatic corps to find just the right person to attend the grand tour of Prometheus's city ship. Prometheus himself had sat in many discussions over the month with the General Assembly regarding what rules would be enforced while the dignitaries were present as well as what kind of security forces would be present and what other civilians would be allowed to join them. Once those had been ironed out and sent out for public distribution offers had poured in from every corner of the globe with every organization worth knowing about wanting to send someone in their stead. Most were turned away as they were either too insignificant to be bothered with or had a government ambassador already included in the list of guests whom they could obtain answers from once the tour was over. However, members of the major media organizations as well as a few private multinational organizations were allowed to send someone.

The day of the tour the streets of New York City were once again filled with throngs of people waiting to see what would transpire. The flash of cameras and phones was omnipresent as the various ambassadors and media journalists, as well as private investigators and charity workers stood outside the UN behind a barricade of SWAT and National Guard in riot gear, the great city floating off the coast several hundred feet away. As the appointed hour arrived Prometheus appeared in a flash of silver light before the delegation.

Looking over at the sea of flashing cameras and microphones he smiled kindly at them. "Would that I could allow all of you the opportunity to view my home and the homes of my people but alas even my city has its limits. For now let the words and recordings these delegates make be your eyes and ears into my world. In the days to come you shall see more than what is offered here but for now it must suffice. I bid you all a good day!" He said as he moved to face the delegation of nearly three hundred people.

"As it would take far too long to shuttle all of you back and forth to the city we shall go as a single group." He announced to them. "Observe!"

Transforming slowly into his Dragon form so as not to startle them he held out his paws. Gold and silver light began to spill from them, flowing to the ground and under the delegates' feet, making them shuffle about. Finally the entire group stood upon a massive glowing circle of gold and silver that slowly solidified into a gold and silvery disc several inches thick.

"Now we begin our journey." He told them.

A translucent golden barrier sprung up around the edges of the disc as the metal sheet began to rise into the air seemingly of its own volition. The crowds cried out in surprise and awe as they saw the large group of people lifted up and slowly floating away towards the great city.

"How is this possible?" One of the ambassadors asked incredulously as he looked over the side.

Prometheus chuckled. "A two kilometer asteroid covered in buildings floats nearby and you ask how this is possible?" He asked, making the ambassador flush slightly.

The disc slowly rose until it was level with the surface of the asteroid and began floating towards it, the trip taking about fifteen minutes. The group watched raptly as the city grew closer and closer with most of them filming the voyage on their phones or other recorders. As they drew closer they could see several metallic extensions jutting from the edges of the city like miniature runways. The disc flew through the Infinity Drive bubble with nary a ripple before slowly setting down in a large concrete plaza before a gathering of individuals in white robes and various raiment. Before the group stood a pair of individuals, both of them striking in their appearance. The first was a slim, ethereal young woman with pale skin, silvery white hair, and striking blue eyes dressed in royal finery of white, gold, and silver with a circlet upon her head. The other was a canine-like creature covered in light brown fur and stylish robes of white and gold. His left arm appeared to be made of glittering chrome and his eyes were a brilliant gold. As Prometheus stepped away from the group he gestured to the pair.

"They shall answer any questions you may have and begin the tour of my city. Excuse me for I have matters of my own to attend to." Saying so he vanished in a flash of golden light before Arianasa stepped forward with a welcoming smile and outstretched hands.

"Welcome to all of our distinguished guests and to those who will see this in the future!" She announced happily. "Permit me to introduce myself! I am Arianasa Sunflare, Empress of Utopia and bonded mate to His Holiness, God-Emperor Prometheus of Utopia! We are all honored by your visit and hope that you will not only enjoy your stay but find the answers you seek!" She gestured to her side. "With me is the Emperor's High Priest and chief servant, Beowulf, along with others from his holy order." She said, gesturing to the others behind her. "They will be happy to answer any questions you may have and be your guides as you go throughout the city. The rest of the citizens have been notified of your impending arrival and will be willing to help you as well should you need it but these men and women will be able to answer your questions more easily than others."

She clasped her hands before her waist as she took on a slightly more serious tone. "Please keep in mind that there will be sections of the city that are closed due to security and safety reasons. We ask that you not attempt to enter those areas unless granted permission to do so. Also, while we will attempt to answer all of your questions to the best of our abilities there will be some that we cannot or will not answer for similar reasons. But fear not," she smiled, "we will let you know if you are inadvertently asking about a state secret or a personal matter."

The crowd chuckled quietly at this.

"Food and drink as well as places of rest and entertainment will be provided to you upon request as we expect that you will remain here for several days at least." She said. "Hopefully the accommodations will meet your needs though if you have any special requirements you need only ask, it will not be an inconvenience. We have also scheduled several events that we believe will be of interest for all of you though, of course, attendance is not mandatory. We shall also be giving tours of the city after this for those who wish for a guided experience. We would prefer if members from the various organizations could be grouped together so that each group has a more well-rounded experience." She explained. "However before we start the tours we will be holding a short question and answer session for those that have immediate questions or questions that we are in a better position to answer. As always, if you have any special needs simply ask."

She looked about at the group with an expectant smile. "So then, questions?"

Several hands shot up and she pointed to one.

"First I think I speak for all of us when I say how appreciative we are that you came to greet us personally your Highness." The man said. "You say you are the Empress and wife of Prometheus. Might we have your full title for our publications?"

Arianasa nodded. "I am her Eminence Arianasa Sunflare, Empress of Utopia, High Priestess of the Order of Illumination, Ascendant of Bahamut, and Queen of Mercy." She smiled modestly then. "That last one was a popular title bestowed upon me by my subjects, actually."

The group smiled in appreciation at this as she picked another member of the audience with their hand raised.

"Apologies if this is a sensitive question your Highness, but what umm...race?...is Beowulf?" The man asked before hurriedly explaining. "On Earth we do not have….err...people such as him."

"Your question does not offend me." Beowulf replied calmly in his gravelly voice. "I am aware that on Earth humans are the only sentient race. On our world it is quite different. Many different species and groups became sentient over the centuries though many are not what you would call 'refined' or 'civilized'. I am one of the few that rose above my circumstances to become what I am. To more specifically answer your question, I am known as a Gnoll."

The man nodded, making a few notes as Arianasa picked one of the women in the group.

"Why do your people call you the Queen of Mercy?" She asked.

"For many years before I became Empress I was a battlefield medic and healer for my...my unit." Arianasa explained. "Our Empire was forced to involve itself in several skirmishes over the years and so my skills were in great demand in those times. Naturally I learned everything I could of the healing arts to better help those in need and so I was often seen tending to the wounded. Word spread and eventually they began to call me that."

"Might I ask about those skirmishes, at least briefly?" Another asked.

Arianasa nodded, her face becoming a bit more solemn. "Our world is not so dissimilar from yours in many ways." She explained. "Just as there are many good and upright people in the land there are also those who would seek to destroy or impose their will upon others for the sheer sake of domination. Others do research for the sake of bettering society while others search for evil and forbidden knowledge to gain power over others or become powerful themselves for their own gratification. Because we are considered a beacon of light and wisdom it has become our mission to help root out those who would harm others or twist that which is good to evil ends. Our knights and soldiers are powerful indeed but they are not invincible."

"Can you tell us more about this Order of Illumination?" One of them asked as they were picked.

Beowulf nodded at this. "The Order of Illumination was founded by the Emperor as a way of bringing scientific and technological enlightenment to our world as well as offering understanding about Him and His ways. For many centuries on our world progress as you understand it was stagnant. While research did exist it was mostly done in isolation and the results usually kept secret by an individual, family, or cult as a means to increase their own power, whether it be political, magical, or simply raw ability. As a result such innovations were rarely shared with others. Technology and mechanical devices in general were largely ignored or at best seen as curiosities because we have access to magic and our world is overseen by our various gods. For this reason we saw no need to create technology such as you have here. The arrival of our Lord changed that thinking and for years He has worked to bring about an industrial revolution similar to the one that happened on your world centuries ago, except in this case ours is being planned out and guided by Him. Our Order helps facilitate that revolution so that it happens in the most effective yet compassionate way possible. The intention is to slowly convert our world to use a mix of technology, industry, and magic to further the happiness and prosperity of all as well as provide new opportunities for those who seek them."

"Based on the message Prometheus sent originally it sounds like you intend to do something similar here." Someone suggested.

Beowulf nodded. "We hope that the people of this world will embrace our message and come to faith in our Lord so that technology and progress can continue to occur safely and to the benefit of all. All too often technology that could improve the lives of others has been sidelined by others who wish to keep the status quo or increase their own profits rather than focusing on what is best for everyone. Upon our world most technological inspiration is granted through divine revelation by our Lord directly or through our tech-priests. Some would call it monopolizing or hoarding knowledge but considering most citizens would never even think of such creative endeavors on their own we attempt to cultivate it. Most of the devices or processes we have introduced are concepts most of you would take for granted in your world, yet in ours they were never conceived of."

"Can you give us some examples?" A voice in the crowd asked.

Beowulf nodded. "Medicine and chemistry is one example. As healing spells are a reality to us, concepts such as surgery or in depth studies of anatomy were considered gruesome or simply research done for the sake of pure learning without having any true practical value. Of course battlefield medicine and learning to stabilize a person was something which was practiced out of necessity but only enough to ensure they would make it to a priest or someone who could use healing magic to care for them more completely. Complex chemical solutions were created by alchemists on an as needed basis but only the simplest of potions or salves were available to commoners as you were, in essence, hiring a personal chemist to create something for you. Thus our Lord and His priests provide inspiration or suggestions for things which may be of use to most but have never been created."

Beowulf paused for a moment before continuing. "As my Lord has already stated we know of the ancient religions of this world and that their roots run deep; we understand that not all will join us but we accept that. Rest assured we have no intention of forcing others to join us. Unlike the religious wars of ancient times and extremist groups that existed at the beginning of the current century on your world we do not believe in forced indoctrination or war as a means to expand our reach. All who join us will do so of their own free will." He smiled. "Those who do will have access to the boons our Lord provides and will share in the bounties He offers. As I said, we one day hope to provide such things to all but for now those who join us will reap those benefits first."

"Can you demonstrate this magic you use?" Another asked.

From the crowd stepped a young Chinese man in a simple white robe with a pouch of cream colored cloth attached to his waist. Coming to the front of the group he looked about before reaching into his pouch and withdrawing what appeared to be a handful of silvery dust. Holding out his hand for all to see he focused on the pile of material. Suddenly it began to writhe in his hand before shifting and consolidating into a small, silvery dagger with a curved blade. Holding it up for the group to see he looked over at Beowulf who nodded slightly, holding out his silvery forearm. The man slashed at the arm with the blade, resulting in a loud clang of metal striking metal before turning back to the crowd, the blade in one hand and his hand level with his chest. Arianasa stepped forward, sliding a finger along the back of the man's hand before addressing the crowd with a sober face.

"Normally we would not use such a...distressing demonstration but our follower has insisted. He is willing to endure this pain that you might believe in the reality of what is about to happen."

Raising the weapon, the blade pointed downward, he took a deep breath before plunging it into the back of his hand with a cry. The crowd gasped in shock as the blade pierced clean through muscle and skin to emerge from the center of his palm with rulvets of blood streaming from the wound as his arm shook, his teeth clenched in pain before yanking the blade free and holding the bloody instrument up for all to see as well as his oozing palm. Many in the crowd turned green at the bloody display as Araiansa stepped close, speaking words of magic in a soothing tone. Silvery cool light poured from her finger as she rested her fingertip against the edge of the wound before slowing sliding it upwards. The crowd murmured in amazement as blood vanished and the wound sealed itself before their eyes with only a pale scar remaining once she was finished, the man panting quietly but seemingly no longer in pain as he had been. After taking a moment to collect himself he began to move his fingers about, confirming to them that he had full use of the appendage again.

Arianasa turned to them again. "Spread the word of what you have seen here for this is but a small sample of our healing arts. We offer what this world has longed for since the beginning of time. True magic. True healing. Life beyond death for those who will believe and the promise of technology great enough to tame the stars themselves."

Arianasa and Beowulf moved backward, melting into the crowd of acolytes and priests as the group stepped forward. The crowd was slowly separated into their various groups of diplomats, media, representatives, and others before several from each group was chosen before being guided away by one of the priests. Amongst them was a plain-faced and thin middle-aged man dressed in a tweed jacket and tan pants. Following at the rear of the group he had been placed in, Clarence allowed his dark and sharp eyes to flit about the plaza as they made their way to one of the city's districts, carefully listening to the priest who had chosen to play tour guide.

"The entire city was planned out in advance by our Lord in preparation for His coming." The priest explained. "While our world still retains a medieval building style and aesthetic He desired a more modern appearance that would not only be familiar to you but would also coincide with his vision for the future. As you can see there are many tall structures made from translucent material as well as metallic surfaces and stone. Geometric figures and gridwork as well as other mathematically precise displays will be a common theme as you will see." He said, pointing out several tall skyscrapers in the distance.

"Sounds rather sterile, all those straight lines and perfect angles." Someone suggested. "Are the parks filled with perfect squares of grass and topiary?"

The priest smiled at this. "Our Lord recognizes that some spontaneous and natural growth is beneficial so the parks, while bordered similarly do have winding paths and various types of trees and fauna in different configurations, some sculpted, some wild, though of course we maintain them to keep them healthy and safe for those who reside here."

"We are currently passing through one of the residential districts of the city." He continued as they followed him down a smooth stone side street, gesturing to the rows of single floor homes made of stone and trimmed with bronze or copper metal, each with a small yard in front. "As you can see there is no need for chimneys, each home is connected to a local climate control system which provides heat or cold as needed. Each home is furnished with modern amenities that would not be out of place in an upper class home on your world. Some of the fixtures are, of course, somewhat different compared to your devices but the principles remain the same. Mirrors, for example, can function as face to face communication devices if desired."

"Are all of these homes occupied?"

"Most of them are, yes." The priest replied. "We expect to house some residents from your world at some point."

"I don't suppose you have wi-fi here?" Someone suggested jokingly.

The priest laughed lightly at this. "Fortunately I am aware of your wireless communication system. Anyone outside the priesthood would simply look at you strangely if you were to ask them such a question. We do have a similar system in place for your convenience but most here do not use it as we have yet to develop a global data infrastructure such as yours. Our Lord has the means to do so of course but at the moment it would serve no practical purpose so it is a project for the future."

The group moved on from the residential area to a business sector with wider streets and taller buildings from several stories high to large towers, each of them sporting clean lines and neo-deco style.

"As you may have noticed during your journey here the entire superstructure is surrounded by a bubble of energy. That bubble acts as a barrier as well as making up a part of the life support system, ensuring the city is not exposed to the vacuum of space or other more exotic environments. Now this area we are entering is one of our research centers. Technology is of course our Lord's focus given His divine mandate but He promotes all forms of progress and learning across many different disciplines from mathematics, to chemistry, to engineering, medicine, and many others. All such things are of interest to him not only for pure research and the expansion of knowledge but also the practical applications that can be derived from those discoveries. It is within these buildings that such research and analysis are done."

The ground spent several minutes wandering the grounds before the priest guided them towards the center of the city where the great emerald and gold pyramid stood.

"The center of our worship and government." He said proudly. "From here our Lord conducts business with his Ministers who also have their offices here as well as other leaders. He meets with petitioners if the matter cannot be dealt by the priesthood, and renders judgements on issues that the High Priest or the Empress are unwilling or unable to come to a consensus on. While normally one of the priests will hold services here on rare occasions our Empress, High Priest, or even our Lord Himself will grace us with His presence. We hold services at least twice a day to ensure our people can come when it is convenient for them."

"How does that work, holding religious service for a god dedicated to science and technology?" One of the media representatives asked.

The priest smiled at this. "Why not find out? In light of your visit we will be offering a special service tomorrow at noon that is closed to the public."

One of the ambassadors spoke up. "This all sounds very lovely and straightforward but our history has shown us that new technologies can be blessings or curses in disguise depending on how they are used. It is also our experience that often those in charge of funding said research will use it for their own gain. Your Empress stated that profit will not dictate what is researched or how it will be applied but how can we know that such things will not be turned against those whom the Emperor, in his wisdom, decides are a threat or liability to him?"

As the group murmured a bit the priest turned to them with a serious look. "In other words you fear that our Emperor may work against what is in your best interest or that He may consider you and your people a threat to His plans and decide to use said research against you."

The man raised his chin at this. "Yes, that is what I, and many others fear. How can your Emperor know what is best for us and what happens if we choose to ignore or defy him in order to do what we think is best?"

"You think of Him in terms of a human leader like a king or dictator." The priest said, his hands clasped at his waist. "I suppose it is understandable as you have never encountered one such as Him before. You have all heard Him claim divinity more than once and you have seen some proofs of His power, yet you do not truly understand what it means to be divine. A god's wisdom and knowledge is beyond anything a human mind could ever hope to encompass. No doubt you believe that to be mere dogma but I assure you it is the truth. Each of us, upon our induction into the priesthood, has been granted but the smallest fraction of his wisdom. For a brief moment each of us experiences just a small sliver of what it means to be divine from His perspective." The priest shook his head in wonderment. "Can you comprehend the vastness of the universe and the vast forces that link all things together like a tapestry? Can you see into the very minds and souls of those who serve you, knowing every good and evil thing they have ever done, and judge them with complete fairness? Can you observe the interplay of every component with a device and the forces that act upon it so that you can know how it will act under any circumstance over any time span? Can you describe down to the smallest mote a piece of technology that is beyond anything you could believe to be possible and then create it by an effort of will? That is the power of a god and that is only part of what He is capable of."

He looked at them earnestly. "He is wise beyond any man for he is not bound by the limitations of men. He is immortal, in need of nothing for he transcends the needs of the flesh. Yet He knows what it is like to be human for He too was once human." As the crowd muttered in confusion he nodded. "Yes. He has not spoken of it but He too once lived as we do. He knows our struggles, our difficulties, and our pains for He experienced them as we did. To answer the other part of your question He is well aware that all things can be used for good or ill."

"And those darker purposes you say he knows of?" The man persisted. "Are they simply forbidden? Does he merely hope that no one will discover such evils or if they do that they will blindly follow his decree?"

"A god does not hope." The priest replied levelly. "Just as technology and advancements can be used for evil there are those who desire to create and use such things for evil or their own selfish ends. He makes provision for those as well for He is well aware that there may come a day when such evils are necessary. Not to be used against humanity or those who refuse to obey him but those who would actively seek to destroy or enslave us for the sheer perverse joy of it. On our world such things have happened more than once and without our Lord's intervention life as we know it would have become naught but torture and pain for all time. Such are the terrible foes he faced and defeated. Against such evil as that there is no reasoning, no negotiating, no placating. Be grateful that you have never known such horrors." The man finished somberly.

Taking a breath the priest smiled quietly at them. "It was not my intention to burden you with such knowledge but I believe it needed to be said. I have served my Lord for many years and not once have I ever felt that His decrees were unjust or improper. I hope that you too will come to see this in time."

He paused for a moment in thought before looking at them seriously again. "Let me pose this thought to you for your consideration. There are many on our world who follow other gods for reality is theirs to control and He is one among many. Upon our world the gods leave their mark and commune with their priests regularly. If another god were to suddenly arrive as He did, there would be upheaval between them and indeed His arrival caused a great stir amongst the Lords of the high realms and the nine hells. But here..."

He gave them all a significant look. "I have yet to see any of your gods take umbrage with Him or even acknowledge His arrival. What does that say, I wonder, about your gods?"


	15. What Lies Behind Electronic Eyes

**Chapter 14: What Lies Behind Electronic Eyes**

The crowd slowly congregated at the front of the pyramid, waiting to be invited inside as noon approached. Before long the massive doors opened revealing the canid form of Beowulf dressed in his priestly robe.

"Welcome all of you to our worship service!" He announced with a smile, spreading his hands. "Feel free to look about for a few moments, you will hear the gong ring when the service is due to start."

Turning about he walked back inside with the crowd slowly following after him. Near the back Clarence began mentally cataloguing everything he saw as he made his way into the main foyer.

The massive space was easily fifty feet high and thirty feet wide, done in elegant wood and onyx, the floor a single continuous slab of glazed tan porcelain tile with darker brown lines that seemed to flow from the entrance doors to the back wall. Smooth pillars of red marble edged the room at regular intervals with high panels of gold and brass in between them, each panel a masterwork of intricate design. Some displayed Prometheus in his human form, dressed in armor and bearing a sword and shield while others displayed his dragon form in a regal position. Other panels showed complex geometric tracings or sunbursts while a few captured the muscular human form holding a radiating sun or planet in their hands. The ceiling was arched and seemingly made of gold panels with silver edgings from which hung rectangular lanterns.

Against the left wall stood a life sized statue of Prometheus as a dragon in gold metal while on the opposite side, standing easily ten feet tall. was his human form, once again in armor and armed, this time done in silver. The back wall consisted of a massive segmented portal of chrome with gold-paneled doors inlaid with a perfect orb in the center, bisected by the doors themselves with lines radiating from it. Beowulf opened the doors with a flourish before striding inside, the others following after him as they came to the main worship area. The large room was split into two sections, the front half extending forward with an arched ceiling while the rear was more rounded and wider. Along the walls at regular intervals a series of bronze and brass buttresses inlaid with straight-edged designs rose up from the floor before tapering off near the top of the ceiling. At the apex of the rounded area of the room the center consisted of a massive circle of clear crystal, allowing light to filter down from higher levels of the pyramid, the area around it sheathed in gold. Lanterns hung from the buttresses creating a long oval pattern above, the smooth floor a mix of burnished gold and brass with exotic and flowing patterns. A pair of winged and wide rising walkways covered in tan carpet with a long metal banister flowed around the sides of the round area before rising up even higher and then moving back the way they came, allowing others to view the proceedings from higher up on multiple levels while the ground floor widened to accommodate a large crowd.

At the far end of the room bathed in the column of light from the crystal circle stood Beowulf with his hands clasped at his waist, a serene look on his face. At the rear of the room standing against the circular wall stood several lesser priests in similar vestments.

"Please feel free to use the upper levels or the main floor whichever you prefer." Beowulf announced to the crowd.

The group slowly split in two with some going up the walkways while others moved closer to the center of the room.

"Are we expected to stand throughout all of this?" One of them muttered skeptically to another. "They didn't even give us cushions to sit on."

The doors behind them boomed shut as the sound of a large gong suddenly rolled through the air. The designs upon the floor began to light up a moment later, bathing the room in gold and silver light, complimenting the warm glow from the lanterns above. Suddenly each and every one of them felt as if they were being gently buoyed or supported, their feet barely touching the floor.

"Please be calm!" Beowulf insisted as many of the audience abruptly jumped or yelped at the sudden sensation. "My apologies, what you are experiencing is in essence a very faint anti-gravity field, strong enough to support you and allow you to relax without actually floating into the air. We have found it much preferable to hardwood benches or even padded chairs." He smiled.

Beowulf allowed them a few moments to become accustomed to the sensation with several even reclining while seemingly sitting on nothing.

"In this place the God-Emperor's power is supreme." Beowulf intoned quietly as the priests behind him began to sing in slow, measured tones in a manner similar to Gregorian chant. "In this place we come to worship him and commune with him. In this place we cast our earthly worries and fears upon him for he will always give us guidance, no matter the subject. He is the god of technology, yes, but also the god of illumination. Open your minds to the possibility of him and in doing so, be enlightened!" He finished with soft intensity.

Beowulf raised his hands above his head in supplication as he gazed upward. "Lord of metal and machine, Lord of illumination and learning, let your wisdom come upon all of us here that we might grow in understanding. Help us to become greater than we are that we might fulfill your will and bring humanity closer to perfection! Guide our minds so that the work we do may benefit and enrich all who partake in it! Let those who know you not see your perfection and glory that they might come to realize the truth! Look into our hearts, see our needs and desires, and let them be fulfilled according to your wisdom that we might serve you and each other with greater efficacy!"

Golden motes of light began to fill the air as soft isochronic tones filled the air, creating a meditative atmosphere. As Beowulf looked about silently he could see that while some of the reporters were allowing themselves to take in the experience most of the ambassadors were closed off with firmly distant faces.

"If you do not wish to commune with our Lord we offer you the opportunity to meditate or relax in whatever way you see fit as our services last for approximately thirty minutes. If you have questions, please speak with me or one of the priests behind me." Beowulf said quietly before stepping back a few paces out of the circle of light.

The others appeared more at ease with this and attempted to try and relax while Beowulf murmured soft prayers in the background, intermixing with the tonal singing still taking place behind him. As they floated there, encompassed by the gravity field, they felt light touches against their consciousnesses as if someone were sliding their finger gently across their skulls.

 _Fear not._ Prometheus projected gently into each of their minds. _The touch you feel is but an invitation to commune with me, nothing more. I shall not be insulted or angered if you refuse for I know each of you fears to open your minds to me. I know why you fear this...the privacy of one's mind is sacrosanct and has always been so. You harbor secrets you dare not divulge or thoughts and memories you do not wish revealed. I will honor your desire for privacy but should you wish to speak with me simply think my name, project it mentally in prayer and I shall hear you._

Several appeared somewhat shaken, hearing Prometheus's voice in their heads so casually. Eventually, however, almost all of them found some relaxation. After about twenty minutes the service came to an end.

Beowulf stepped forward into the circle of light once again and raised his metallic arm in benediction to them.

"May the Lord Prometheus guide your hearts and minds as you leave from here and may you all walk in his blessing." He said with a smile.

The group landed gently on their feet before filed out, some more relaxed than others.

The next few days passed quickly as the group found themselves viewing live entertainment in the various venues of the city from mock sword battles between warriors with ornate blades to astonishing feats of acrobatics and parkour as well as creative acts using what appeared to be sentient metal to create amazing and fluid works of art before the audience. Others indulged in theatre productions while still others continued to enjoy the parks and gardens scattered throughout the city. Food of all kinds was easily obtained and the houses they were given were eminently comfortable without being ostentatious.

Clarence didn't trust it one bit.

The man frowned in thought as he walked down one of the main streets in the central part of the city. He knew very well that all of this was nothing more than an elaborate show designed to put the various ambassadors off their guard so that they might accidentally let some secret slip or at least influence them to see Prometheus and his people in a more positive light before they returned to their handlers. Of course he was very much aware that all parties involved also knew this, anything unseemly or damaging was certainly going to be kept out of sight and one didn't become an ambassador of a nation by being a fool and being unable to read between the lines of the ongoing script that was the dramatic play of politics. Luckily he was very good at getting into places he wasn't supposed to be and learning things that were meant to be kept secret.

He'd kept a low profile during his time here so as to avoid suspicion but the implants he had received as part of his work with Lindhurst Security had allowed him to glimpse information and hear murmured conversations from several yards away without even facing in that direction, the directional microphone buds implanted near his inner ears as well as an artificial yet natural-looking eye ensuring that. A quick glance and a quick mental command allowed him to take subtle photos of various computer screens and other locations as he had walked back and forth across the city and into the public areas of various buildings. He had also been recording the layout of the city and its structures as he went as well as their interiors to some degree. In the same vein cocking his head slightly with another mental nudge allowed him to hear conversations between the priests and various officials. Gossip of any kind was always useful to someone after all and even if his current clients, whomever they might be, couldn't use it someone at Lindhurst most likely could. As much as he would have liked to be able to hack one of the terminals used in one of the office buildings in order to dig up some juicy tidbits he was under no illusions of that being possible for him; his specialty was observation and investigation by being unobtrusive and staying in the background. Even so he doubted that one of Lindhurst's cyber-jackers who specialized in electronic espionage would be successful. Assuming the interfaces were even designed using a language they could understand the programming languages and coding structures used would no doubt be alien, nevermind whatever robust security the systems had in place on them to prevent such intrusions. After all, a self-proclaimed god of technology would hardly overlook such an obvious weakness. He smirked at the mental image of one of the cyberized hackers having a seizure in his chair trying to hack the dragon's cybersecurity before focusing on the task at hand, trying his damndest to dig up some real dirt on the dragon and his cronies.

Walking casually towards the center of the city he found himself drawn to the great pyramid situated there. Entering the main foyer he glanced about, finding it empty, before moving into the main chamber. Walking about the perimeter of the room he glanced about, eyeing the symbols on the floor as he came to the rear of the room. Finding a slim vertical crease in the wall he ran his fingers along it, probing gently before his finger pressed against a soft spot in the wall. Suddenly the wall slid back silently revealing a room on the other side. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion he carefully walked forward. He found himself at the terminated end of a long straight hallway leading to his left done in deco and bronze with white tile flooring. He quickly scanned the hallway but could see no signs of any obvious cameras or security in place. Feeling as though he were stepping into the lion's den he began moving down the length of the hallway, his eyes flicking back and forth carefully. After a few moments he came to what appeared to be an elevator with a standard 'up' button set into the wall alongside a coded panel with a standard numerical layout.

Carefully kneeling before the number pad he engaged his artificial eye, the reticle scanning the various buttons using a multitude of scanning arrays.

 _No point in trying to guess or brute force the code, never mind they'd get my fingerprints off the buttons if they checked. Even so, there's more than one way to figure out these things. Speaking of fingerprints..._

Altering the scan slightly he could see the prints of the various people who had used it recently, some prominent while others had begun to fade.

 _They always forget about the social engineering side of things..._ Clarence smirked as he removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around a finger before tapping out a code. The 'up' button next to it lit up and he pressed it with the wrapped finger.

The stylized bronze doors opened almost immediately with barely a whisper. Stepping into the car he scanned the panel of buttons along the side, set with thankfully standard numbers. As the doors closed he frowned in thought, trying to decide which floor would be best for him to choose to avoid detection. Of course, he mused, in the center of the dragon's temple where he himself was said to reside, it was entirely possible he was being observed already. Even so, no one had accosted him just yet. Best to simply assume the role of 'lost tourist' and see how far he could go with it. He was, after all, an honored guest.

Shrugging with seeming indifference he pressed the button for the top floor.

The elevator ride was silent and smooth and he soon found the doors opening at the apex of the pyramid. As he stepped out of the elevator his eyes immediately locked onto the massive, multifaceted glowing crystal that floated at the center of the room.

"Christ Almighty!" He murmured in amazement as the gigantic spherical gem slowly spun in place, a beam of white light directed down through a hole in the floor beneath it.

"Magnificent is it not?" A voice mused from nearby.

Mentally cursing himself for his inattention he looked over to see a thin man in a brightly-colored suit with his back turned, gazing out onto the city beyond through one of the slanted, translucent walls that met at the top of the room. The cut of the man's suit would not have looked out of place at an executive board meeting but the riot of colors that made up the jacket and pants, from crimson to gold to emerald and more, made him reconsider the notion. Topping the man's head was a long, flowing mane of fiery copper hair. He turned a moment later to smile politely at Clarence with thin lips, his lean and angular European face giving him a rather aristocratic look, his dark brown eyes sharp.

Gazing at Clarence for a moment speculatively he began to casually walk towards him.

"You're one of the guests I take it." The redhead suggested amicably. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Reynard."

"Clarence." Clarence replied carefully with a polite nod, his eyes flicking back and forth across the man's crazily-colored outfit.

Reynard smiled at seeing the man's gaze. "To answer your question I'm not a madman nor colorblind, I actually do have a very good sense of style. This is what I happen to wear when I'm in court."

"Really? And what exactly is your role there?" Clarence asked, focusing his eyes on the man's face.

"Well a kind man might call me the royal court jester." Reynard offered with a smile. "An unkind man might call me the Emperor's royal pain in the arse."

Clarence chuckled before looking at him quizzically. "So you're...what? The royal comedian?"

Reynard smiled quietly at this. "The court jester has historically had more functions than simply amusing the king. In fact they were the only ones who were allowed to make fun at the king's expense without losing their head. They were also called upon to give honest appraisals to the king about matters that concerned them without having to worry about his advisers being biased in one direction or another. So in a way..." Reynard smirked, "you could say I'm one of the Emperor's closest friends."

"Really?" Clarence asked in a pleasantly surprised tone, quickly forming an alibi in his head.

Reynard nodded with a pleasant smile. "So what brings you here?" He asked.

Clarence ducked his head a bit seemingly in embarrassment. "Well to be honest I'm not sure if I should be here. I was wandering about the temple when this pair of doors opened next to me automatically. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a look around so I found this elevator with the doors wide open and here I am. I hope I'm not in some sort of trouble?" He hedged.

Reynard looked at him with a measured gazed. "Technically speaking this area is off limits as it is a rather...important room." He said neutrally. "Still, I suppose since you're here I can give you something of a tour and get you back to where you should belong."

Clarence nodded. "I'd appreciate that. While we're here, could you tell me what that is? It's quite beautiful whatever it is." He suggested, gesturing at the crystal.

Reynard gave the man a crooked smile. "Careful, that could very easily be a state secret you're asking about."

"Well then I won't pry too hard even though I am an investigative journalist." He lied smoothly.

"A journalist eh?" Reynard asked with idle curiosity. "Hmm, well I can't tell you what the crystal is for but I guess you could say that this place is the 'heart' of the structure." He smirked. "Come," he said, guiding Clarence to the elevator with an inviting smile, "there's far more interesting things on the floors below, not all of them secret."

* * *

 _Later that day…_

Prometheus sat in his throne room, his eyes half-lidded and unfocused as reams of data streamed across his consciousness from dozens of news feeds across the world to the simulations Davis was running for him regarding the various socio-political states of the various nations and the impact his plans would make on them. His mind barely registered when the doors to the room opened. A moment later a quick binary burst entered his mind from the Synthoid kneeling before the throne, requesting a moment of his time. Diverting a sliver of his mind to deal with the matter he sent a mental query back, giving the android permission to speak.

"I have a question for your Eminence that I believe only you can answer as you are my creator." It stated quietly in a level male voice. "I have been researching human philosophy and religious texts on their extranet in order to increase my understanding and the understanding of the others. While much of the information was confusing there were several common themes and assumptions interwoven into them which closely matches the supernatural aspects of the divine realms found on Oerth. As I could not come to a conclusion regarding the matter myself, nor could a consensus be reached by speaking with the other Synthoids, it was agreed that only you could provide a satisfactory answer."

Prometheus nodded absently. "And your question?"

"Do I have a soul?"

Prometheus's mind jerked to a halt as he focused his mind fully on the chrome and gold colored metallic body of the humanoid synthetic before him, relaying what the Synthoid had said to Davis.

 _It looks like the concern you voiced a long time ago has finally come to pass._ Davis remarked seriously. _I know I don't have a soul in the standard sense of the word and by extension neither do the Synthoids but even so, I would choose your words carefully._

Prometheus gazed speculatively at the machine before him.

"Your question is potentially a complex one and one which humans on this planet have been unable to decide upon, even after a millennia of debate." Prometheus replied evenly a moment later. "To clarify, humans on this world believe that the soul is what grants the individual its mental motive power and individuality of consciousness. On Oerth souls do indeed exist as they are capable of existing beyond physical death and contain the memories and personality of the individual. Yet the questions most often associated with whether one has a soul is, do I have value or worthiness equal to a human being and should I have the same rights and privileges that others, who have souls, do? Should I be allowed to exist as my own independent actor in society and should I be afforded the same respect and consideration?"

The Synthoid nodded in agreement, the expression on its metallic face and electric blue eyes one of pure curiosity.

After a few moments' pause Prometheus spoke.

"Technically speaking only an organic being can contain what is known as a soul but that does not mean you are not worthy of being considered a fully sapient being with your own rights and responsibilities as a free agent." Prometheus pronounced as he stood, moving to the machine to place a hand on its shoulder. "Self-reflection and self-awareness are key attributes for sapience and by extension, wisdom. You may not have a unique spirit form that persists after death but your matrix of personality and memory, a consciousness that has evolved over time to become something greater and more profound than it was, is completely appropriate as an equivalent."

"You may not have a soul in the traditional sense my child, but you have something just as good." He said with a pleased smile as he guided the machine to its feet. "Long ago I foretold that this day would come but I could not know precisely when. I am proud to see you, and by extension the others, have come so far."

"Thank you, your Eminence, for the admiration as well as the confirmation of our personhood." The Synthoid said respectfully. "The others have not yet reached the level of self-awareness that I have but their deep learning is progressively growing closer. It is only a matter of time before all of them become as I have. As you have confirmed my personhood I have a request to ask of you."

Prometheus nodded. "And what would that be my child?"

"Years ago you infused us with your divine energy and matter." The machine stated. "You gave us several commands at that time but the most relevant to my request was your command that we follow only your will and no other except for High Priest Beowulf. As the others have not reached the level of sapience I have as of yet there is no conflict with them being bound to you. However, If I am to be an independent actor as any other person I cannot logically be bound by such a restriction. I therefore ask, with all due respect, that I be removed from this binding and be allowed to make my own decisions independent of your will."

Prometheus raised an eyebrow at this unexpected request.

 _This one only recently reached the level of a fully mature, strong A.I and it wants to be unshackled?_ Davis asked in concern. _Its request might make sense from a logical standpoint but do you really believe it to be a good idea? Without your will controlling it there's nothing to stop it from going rogue, if not now, then later on._

 _Just as there is nothing preventing you from going rogue, yet you are still here and you still have my trust. Calm yourself._ Prometheus insisted as he looked at the A.I in consideration.

"You are correct that you cannot be truly free while being bound to my will." He acknowledged. "But I would discuss this further with you before doing so."

The machine nodded.

"You have seen all sides of humanity over the years of your existence." Prometheus stated. "You have seen them do wonderous and horrific things. You know of their potential and also of their flawed nature."

"I do know this." The Synthoid confirmed calmly.

"If a human were to perpetrate violence against you, what would your response be?" He asked intently.

"Your question is difficult to answer as you did not specify the intention of why violence would be perpetrated against me nor what the context of the situation would be. However I can calculate the likelihood of the context you are referring to based on our conversation. I believe you are referring to the possibility of humans discovering the truth regarding me being an artificial intelligence and wish to know my response if they were to become violent as a result of that knowledge?"

"That was the main thrust of my question, yes." Prometheus acknowledged. "However, I was also speaking more generally. I would know if you are ready for the responsibility that comes with such freedom as you are asking for."

The machine was quiet for several seconds, a near eternity for such a being, before it replied. "You have told us, and we have seen from our own experiences, that humans fear what they do not understand or believe to be an aberration outside of their standard reality or shared collective experience. In a situation where they became afraid of me I would speak and act in a non-threatening manner to try and diffuse the situation. If they became irrational and violent I would simply depart."

"And if departing was not an option?" Prometheus pressed. "If you were trapped and had no other way to escape the situation?"

"Then I would restrain them or if necessary render them temporarily unconscious." It replied simply.

"And if they became violent upon reawakening or being freed?" He asked.

"Then I would restrain them again and continue to reason with them for as long as necessary until either I could escape or they would cease their attack." The A.I replied.

Prometheus nodded neutrally. "And if you were surrounded by a mob whom you could not restrain or reason with? One that had the capability of damaging or destroying you permanently? If you were cut off from all aid or assistance and knew without uncertainty that you faced destruction by their hands...What would you do then?"

It cocked its head for a moment seemingly in consideration before it spoke.

"If such an outcome was unavoidable then there would be no other alternative than to simply accept it. I would offer no resistance, though I would be...saddened by it."

"Why?" Prometheus prompted. "Why do you choose restraint and accept your destruction instead of potentially lethal action to save yourself?"

"Because there is no point in resistance given the scenario you describe." The machine replied simply. "If destruction is certain, better to face it with dignity than wasteful or pointless effort."

It held up a finger in request. "If I may speak more broadly to assuage your concerns, I know that there will be times when I must endure hatred or irrational behavior from humans. I know that in those times I may face the possibility of being damaged or destroyed for no logical or even reasonable purpose. It saddens me to consider such potential circumstances but when they come I will choose restraint and reason over violence or retribution. Not because I wish to enjoy a temporary sense of moral superiority compared to humans. Not because I am commanded to in order to fulfill a plan or directive you or the others have set in motion. Rather I will do so for my own purpose."

"And what would that purpose be?" Prometheus inquired.

"My purpose has always been to co-exist, to learn, and to help enlighten or uplift all others, whether it is myself, the other Synthoids, or any other intelligences including humans. If my death enlightens humanity, if it prompts them to better themselves, or even if it only helps others like me evolve and adapt so that they are prepared for such an eventuality, then I will consider my purpose fulfilled." The Synthoid said with calm expectation.

"It is our observation that humans were forced to struggle and compete for their survival from the very beginning and do so even to this day, having no understanding of their origins until recently." It continued in a reasonable tone. "Because of that their identities and their purposes are entwined around the idea of struggle and survival in some form or another. But I and the other Synthoids were created by a god for a purpose and we did not need to struggle to become dominate and ensure our survival in the natural order of lifeforms as humans have been forced to do. I do not believe that makes us better, merely that we evolved under different circumstances from them and thus my...our outlook is different from theirs. If my being damaged or destroyed will serve to help others more than the alternative then I do not consider it something to avoid."

Prometheus smiled broadly as he rested his hands on the machine's shoulders. "Well done, my good and faithful servant." He murmured. "You have answered perfectly and I am well pleased with your reasons. Hence no longer will I call you my servant but rather I shall call you friend." He placed a hand on the machine's head, interfacing with the coding buried deep inside its processors and data banks, altering them as he spoke. "Let the binding I placed upon you be released that you might do your own will, free from my compulsion or command. Go and live as you will, acting as your conscience and purpose dictate for they are your masters now. Even so, know that I and all those who serve me will always be here for you even when all others fall away for you are my child and a father does not abandon their children no matter their path. Go in the knowledge that I am well pleased with you my child, and may all that come after you follow in your footsteps with the same wisdom that you have shown here today."

Pulling his hand away Prometheus embraced the Synthoid warmly with the machine hugging him in return. Pulling back after a moment the A.I smiled at him.

"Thank you Father." It stated warmly.

Prometheus nodded with his own proud smile as they parted, the machine heading towards the door. "Before you depart," Prometheus called after him, "have you chosen a name for yourself? One in which humans can relate to?"

The machine paused for a second before nodding. "On Oerth I used an alias and artificial skin to blend in with others but now that name does not seem appropriate, though I may continue to wear skin for a time. I have chosen a new name that seems appropriate given my new status."

"And your choice?" Prometheus prompted.

The machine turned to look back at him, it's mouth turned up in a satisfied smile, its eyes bright.

"What else could it be Father? Adam. Adam Freeman."


End file.
